Broken Doll: An Alternate After Story
by Magnus Prime
Summary: (NOTE: Rated 'M' for language and some disturbing content.) Based on the first 'version' of the canonical After Story. It has been almost sixteen years since Nagisa's death, and Ushio is coming up on her sixteenth birthday. With her entry into Hikarizaka High School, Tomoya ends up reconnecting with old friends and making new ones, and begins to learn about loss.
1. Sixteen After the Story

**Broken Doll – An Alternate After Story  
** _by Magnus Prime_

 **Chapter One: Sixteen After the Story**

I breathed a sigh of relief as I approached the front door to my home. Well, not really my home; I still lived in the apartment, and Ushio had been with me since our reunion so many years ago.

I opened to the door to the nice smell of dinner on the stove, and the sight of my daughter at the kotatsu. It looked like she was working on her homework. "I'm home."

She looked up, and a bright smile spread across her face. "Welcome home, Daddy!" she squealed as she hopped up from her spot and hurried over to give me a hug before taking my coat as she had been doing for the past few years. "How was work?"

"Same as always," I grunted as she slid my coat from my shoulders, continuing the years-old routine. "At least I still don't have to worry about falling."

"And you still have your weekends," she added.

It was true: The first few years of my time with the electrical company had me climbing poles to do repairs along with Yuusuke. Apparently I'd shown a good work ethic, because even though my dad's antics had ruined my chances at becoming a branch manager, my boss still wanted to promote me somewhere. Fortunately, one of our accountants was about to retire, so I was quickly trained for the position. Starting off was rough, but the outgoing accountant was a great teacher and I was doing his job, however crudely, in no time. One of the nice things about the position was that I was only required to work on weekdays.

"That reminds me," I said as we headed back to the kotatsu, "have you decided what you want to do for your birthday? I know it's not for about a couple of months, but I'd like to have enough time to plan the purchases if needed."

"I'd like to go out to dinner," she replied almost immediately.

I gestured toward her. "And?"

"That's it."

My brow furrowed. "You don't want to invite any of your friends or anything? You've had friends over for your birthday for years, and this is your sixteenth birthday."

"Not this time," she said, looking to the side.

So she didn't want me to spend too much money on her, huh? What a sweet girl. "Ushio, it's fine; I can afford to take you and your friends. I can't treat your whole homeroom class, of course, but three or four of your buddies won't break the bank." I spread my hands. "This is a special birthday, after all."

"I know," she murmured. "That's why I want it to be just us."

"How come?"

"Because I'm turning sixteen."

I gave my gears a minute to turn and it hit me: She must have wanted to spend time with me since she would be going from being a child to being an adult. "Okay, then; if you're okay with spending your special birthday with your old man-"

"You're not an old man!" she blurted, then quickly covered her mouth. "I'm sorry!"

I was surprised, of course, but not offended. "It's okay; I'm not mad or anything."

"M-May I check on dinner?"

I blinked at the abrupt change of topic. "S-Sure, go ahead."

I thought over our conversation as I watched her working at the stove. What had brought about her change? Did she feel like she couldn't have any friends anymore because she would be turning sixteen? It also seemed odd that she would want to spend time with me. I knew that she loved her 'Daddy', but she was at the age where she should have been growing away from me. Maybe she still needed me as an emotional safely net?

I shifted my focus from my thoughts to my daughter and smiled as she stirred the contents of one of the pots. She had certainly grown into a beauty; hardly surprising, considering how cute her mother was. Large, expressive brown eyes, long brown hair to her waist…the only thing missing were those hairs that stood straight out like antennae. I could see a lot of Nagisa in my little girl, but I could also see a bit of myself in her as well, though what she got from me was mainly seen in her personality; a stubborn streak, a strong sense of right and wrong...how she ended up such a beautiful, sweet young lady while under my care I'd probably never figure out. Probably learned it from Pops and Sanae before I took custody.

"Dinner's about ready," she announced, jarring me from my thoughts. "Would you be willing to set the table?"

"Sure," I grunted as I got to my feet. "What do we need?"

She gestured to her left, where a short pile of bowls and plates waited. "Just this, thanks."

I smirked as I gathered the dining materials. She had certainly become bolder in the last year. When she was younger, she was all "Yes, Daddy!", but within the last year she had started speaking to me more like an equal on occasion. I knew that I was still 'Daddy' to her, but the change in our dynamic would take some getting used to. "Bowls on the plate or next to it?"

"Next to it, please."

I put the stuff on the table like she asked and, after helping her put dinner on the table, we took our usual places across from each other. _"Itadakamasu."_

As we started to fill our plates I thought about our earlier interaction again. "Listen, Shio-chan: I'm sorry if I came off heavy-handed or demanding earlier."

"Y-You didn't," she said, deliberately avoiding my gaze. "I…just felt awkward, that's all."

"Okay." I didn't have any reason to believe that she would lie to me, particularly about something like this. "Well, if you change your mind about bringing friends, I'm cool with that; just give me at least a couple weeks' warning, okay?"

"Okay."

"Do you know where you want to go? What restaurant, that is?"

Her chewing slowed briefly before she swallowed. "I know I'd like to go somewhere fancy...not like 'rich-person' fancy, but a little…nicer? Yeah, nicer than a family restaurant."

I nodded thoughtfully. "I have a couple of ideas you might like, but…let me look into them a little more. Of course, if you find a place you like, just let me know and we'll make it happen. Sound good?" I finished with a smile.

"Yeah! Thanks, Daddy!" she chirped, her eyes nearly glowing. Her excitement faded slightly, though. "Are you meeting with Fujibayashi-sensei tonight again?"

I sighed heavily. "Yeah. Sorry it's going to cut into our time, but you know she can't get out very often."

"I know," she sighed, looking down at the tabletop. "I understand."

Kyou had been married for about ten years, but it only took one for her to find out that she was just arm-candy to her so-called 'husband'. For someone who wasn't loved very much, she wasn't allowed outside very often. In fact, the only time that I could meet up with my old friend was when he was out of town on business. I didn't know what he did for a living and I didn't really care; it just pissed me off that my old sparring partner was basically a bird in a gilded cage; fed, clothed and sheltered, but not really taken care of. I'd taken Ushio to one of our early get-togethers and she had hardly recognized her former teacher.

What saddened me the most was that she was likely going to be 'retired' soon, effectively traded in for a younger woman. "I don't know why she doesn't just get out, either," I told my daughter. "It's not like he'd chase her down or anything."

"Fujibayashi-sensei was such a nice teacher, even though she made fun of you so much." I could clearly hear the pain in my daughter's voice. "Whoever he is, he doesn't deserve someone as nice as her."

I leaned back on my hands to look out our living-room window. "For what it's worth, I agree."

* * *

I pulled my coat collar up over my ears to protect them from the winter's chill. December tended to be really cold where we lived, and every time I saw the snow my mind would go back to that day so many years ago… "Nagisa…"

I still missed my wife. Even though it had been around a decade and a half since her passing, I could still remember her death like it was yesterday. How pale she was when our daughter was born, how weak she sounded, and…I rubbed at my eyes at the memory of trying to show Ushio to her lifeless body.

Five years of working my ass off, along with booze and smokes did nothing to ease the pain. Only my reunion with Ushio, along with learning about my dad and realizing how I was turning out like him, finally snapped me out of it. The pain remained, but at least I had a reason to go on. "She's so much like Nagisa…" I finished my musings with a smile, along with a little paternal jealousy. I filed my thoughts and feelings away as I approached the bar where Kyou and I would usually meet.

The artificially-heated air was a welcome sensation to my skin as I entered the bar, and I shrugged out of my coat as I headed over to my old friend, sitting in our usual spot. "Hey."

"Hey," she greeted back. "Nice weather, huh?"

"I've seen worse," I said with a wry smile as I sat across from her. It wasn't hard to see that at only thirty-six she had lost much of her youth; the bags under her eyes, the way she slouched as she sat, the slight graying at the temples… "You doing okay?"

"I've been worse," she grunted, nearly echoing my statement as she pulled out a packet of cigarettes and started smacking it against a hand. "Mind if I smoke?"

"Go ahead," I replied. "It won't take the pain away, you know."

"I know," she said offhandedly. "But I'll take the illusion over the hell of reality."

"That bad?" I asked, lighting her smoke for her.

She took a long draw from the cancer stick. "I think I'm going to be 'retired' soon."

"Already?"

She gave me a look of disbelief. "Are you seriously asking that? Look at me!" She sat up, using the non-smoke hand to indicate herself. "I look like an old hag! Do you think I don't see the bags under my own eyes? My hair? Damn, my mom and dad still have their hair color! …At least, when I last saw them."

"How long ago was that?"

"Two years. Two…fucking…years!" She took another draw on her cigarette. "Bastard won't even find out how they're doing for me."

I felt sick to my stomach; I'd never known Kyou to swear like that, so… "Why don't you leave?" We'd had this discussion before, but I'd been hoping that the answer would be different this time.

"He'd find me and beat my ass…again."

"If he's going to give you the boot, why would he chase after you?" I tried pointing out.

"When I'm allowed to leave, it'll be on his terms," she said matter-of-factly. "Guy's got an ego the size of the Pacific. No, I'll just wait it out until he finally gets tired of me."

I 'humphed'. "Well, the invitation stands; you need a place to stay, you can stay with Ushio and me."

Another look of disbelief. "Seriously? You'd let this old hag crash with you? And one who's treated you like shit?"

"You stopped abusing me after Ushio graduated from kindergarten, remember? And 'old hag'? I don't see an old hag; I see a…an affection-deprived woman."

I hadn't seen her smile in a long time, so to see one grace her face was a relief. "Thanks, Tomoya; it means a lot to hear you say that." Her smile turned more sly. "Say, if I take you up on that, would you have sex with me?"

My stomach slithered to my shoes. "Why…Why would you even ask that? You know I'm married!"

"Nagisa's dead, Tomoya," she said casually, flicking ashes into a nearby tray before fixing her gaze on me again. "Besides…I want to know what it's like."

"What what's like?"

She sighed heavily. "Sex, you idiot."

"Y…You…You've never…?"

"N-No," she fake-stuttered, apparently mocking me. "I've n-never had s-sex before."

"And you've been married for ten years?"

"I guess that's what it's called. 'Married'…" she snorted before drawing on her smoke again. "What a crock."

My heart went out to my old friend, but... "I'm…sorry, Kyou; I can't give you that."

She snorted again. "Never hurts to ask, I guess."

"You can still stay with us if – or when – he kicks you out."

"I dunno. Maybe I'll find a nice guy…" she said, her eyes taking on a faraway look. "…one who knows how to treat a lady, one who loves kids, wants one of his own…"

My heart broke further as I realized that she would have wanted kids for the last ten years, but her jerk of a husband had denied her even that.

"…but that'll never happen," she scoffed as she viciously mashed her cigarette into the ashtray. "I'm running out of eggs, I look a hell of a lot older than I really am…"

"Kyou…"

She looked at me with a smile tinged with resignation. "No one will want me," she said simply as tears welled in her eyes.

"I'm sure-"

"Save it, Tomoya," she snapped, waving a dismissive hand. "Thanks for trying to cheer me up, but it won't work anymore."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. I made my choices, and I'm suffering the consequences. Now, I want to talk about something happier. How's Shio-chan doing?"

I couldn't stop the smile that spread across my face, not that I wanted to. "She's doing great. She'll be turning sixteen this coming February."

"Wow…" she breathed. "Sixteen… Time flies so fast… Wish I could get her something."

"I could pass along a birthday message, if you wanted."

"Yeah…get a piece of paper; I've got something," she said, pulling out another cigarette for me to light. "You'll like this."

I grabbed a napkin and borrowed a pen from a waitress, then looked at her expectantly.

"First…here, take this." She reached in her purse, pulled out some money and pushed it at me. "Get her a nice card, one of those flowery, sappy ones and write this in…shit, let me do it." She grabbed the napkin and pen from me and scribbled something on it. "Does this look okay? It doesn't look like the rantings of a thirty-six-year-old virgin, does it?"

I blanched as I took the napkin from her to read it:

" _Find happiness and hold onto it, whatever it costs you.  
\- Aunt Kyou"_

"Looks good," I said, lowering the napkin to the table. "I think she'll love it."

"Just stick that in the card so she sees it's from me, my handwriting," she said, then paused. "Wait…does it smell like smoke?"

I lifted the napkin to my nose and sniffed. "Yeah, but I could be smelling your coffin nail."

"Piss off," she grunted before taking another draw.

"You need to quit, Kyou," I said, putting the napkin in a pocket. "That's going to age you faster than anything."

"Like I care anymore," she scoffed. "I'm already worn-out goods for having been used so little."

"I care," I insisted, "and Ushio's been worried about you."

Her smoke paused halfway on its return trip to her mouth. "Shio-chan…" she took another draw, then flicked the ashes. "Tell you what; I'll clean up after Loverboy kicks me out. Deal?" she asked, sticking out a hand.

I looked down at her hand; it looked remarkably old for such a relatively young woman. "Fine. Deal," I said, grabbing her hand. She winced, and I quickly pulled my hand away. "Sorry… did I hurt you?"

"Sort of," she admitted. "That's the most affection I've felt since…hell, I don't know when."

I studied my old friend, saddened at what a loveless marriage had done to her, made her into. "When you get out, Ushio and I will spoil you. Hair, nails, whatever."

She smiled wistfully. "I look forward to it."

* * *

"So how is she?" I heard before I could even get through the front door. I looked over to see Ushio, in her nightgown, standing at the entrance to the hallway. "Is she okay?"

"As well as can be expected," I grunted as I settled down at the kotatsu. As she took her place across from me I said, "She thinks she's going to be 'retired' soon."

"That's good, in a way," she mused. "Did you tell her about our offer?"

I chuckled humorlessly as I remembered her…unique request. "I think I've reminded her just about every time we've met, but yes, I did."

Ushio cast her gaze to the tabletop as she sighed. "I hope she accepts."

"It sounds like she will," I told her as I leaned back on my hands, only to sit up abruptly to rub at my face with both hands. "Man, I'm tired."

"You smell like smoke, too," my daughter said, wrinkling her nose as she looked back up at me. "Is she still doing…that?"

"Yeah," I snorted, "but she said she'll quit once she's out of there."

"That's good." Ushio said, her eyes back on the table. "I'm really looking forward to seeing her again, taking care of her."

I chuckled – a genuine one this time – as I reached across to her head. She smiled as she leaned forward, letting me rub her head. "You're a really nice, kindhearted girl, Shio-chan," I told her. "I'm thankful to have you as my daughter."

"Y-Yeah…" she said, blushing as she ducked her head slightly. "Thanks."


	2. Birthday Surprises

**Chapter Two: Birthday Surprises**

I straightened my suit collar as I checked myself in the bathroom mirror. Ushio would only be turning sixteen once and, as her father, I did not want to embarrass her by looking like a bum. "Ushio, are you almost ready?"

"Ready, Daddy!" she chirped as she bounced into the room. "Wow, you look so handsome!"

"Thanks," I grunted as I fought with my necktie; I never could get the hang of the stupid things.

"Here, let me help," she said, gently batting my hands away. "It's easier with another pair of eyes, don't you think?"

I grunted in agreement as I watched her fix my mess. She really was a beautiful young lady; I was not looking forward to the parade of young men who would likely be visiting to try to date her.

"There!" She gave my chest a pat and, when I looked down again, my tie was perfect. "You were close, but I think your nose was just in the way."

I chuckled as I took her head in my hands to give her a kiss on the top of her head. "Thanks, sweetie."

"Y-You're welcome," she said, squirming out of my hands.

I shook my head with a sigh. While part of me was glad to see the strong, semi-independent woman she'd become, another part of me missed the little girl who couldn't sleep without a good-night kiss. "Sorry," I said as she fixed her hair that I'd messed up as a result of my affection. "I'll try not to embarrass you while we're out."

"It's okay," she said absently as she readjusted her hair clip. It was one of the exact clips that her mother had worn many years ago, and once her hair had grown long enough Ushio had insisted on wearing it whenever she could. "I just need a moment…"

Once she had her hair squared away we headed out.

"I'm really looking forward to the restaurant," she said excitedly as I locked the front door. "I want to try something different; maybe a steak!"

"Well, you just think about what you want," I said, chuckling as I turned to her. "This day is for you."

"I…I know," she said as she reached her hand out toward me.

My heart warmed and a smile spread across my face at the gesture; she hadn't held my hand in years, so she probably wanted to do it one last time before becoming an adult…or marriageable, at least. So, I reached out and took her hand in mine; she still had small hands, but nowhere near as small as they were so many years ago… "It's been a long time since we've done this," I remarked as we started on our way.

"Does it bother you?" she asked, her voice uncertain.

"No, not at all!" I told her. "To be honest…I kinda miss it."

She blushed as she looked toward the snow-covered ground, but otherwise said nothing.

"You okay? I didn't say anything embarrassing, did I?"

She shook her head with her eyes still on the road. "Do…Do you still miss Mom?"

Where had that come from? "Well, yeah; she was my wife and we were really close."

"Hm…"

"Is something wrong?"

"No." She looked up at me with a smile, but it seemed forced. "I'm fine, really. Just…thinking."

"Oh." I wasn't sure what to make of her behavior; it was unusual…for her at least. "Okay. Well, you go ahead and keep thinking. I'll try not to interrupt."

"Okay."

We walked quietly through the snow, the only sounds around us being either other people or the snow crunching under our boots. As we arrived at the restaurant, I stepped forward and opened the door to let her go through first. She ducked her head meekly as she passed by, causing me to chuckle as I started to feel sorry for the guys that might try to pursue her; maybe my job wouldn't be as hard as I thought it would be.

It wasn't long before we were seated and handed our menus. Ushio quickly buried her nose in hers while I took a moment to look at the place. Like she'd wanted, it was nice but not too nice, with curtains over the windows that overlooked the twinkling lights of the city. Without realizing it, I had started looking for Kyou's house. I had to give up when I realized that I only had a vague idea of where the Hagane residence was, so I turned back to my menu.

"Do you know what you want?" my daughter's muffled voice asked from the other side of the table.

"Not yet, sorry; just started looking."

"It is a nice view, isn't it?"

I smiled; so, she had me pegged, eh? "Yeah," I chuckled, "I like the look of the city lights at night."

"Me, too."

After a few minutes, I finally put my menu down. "Steak," I decided. "I want to have something nicer than what family restaurants have."

"Me, too." She lowered her menu, and I could see an impish smile on her face, which I returned.

"Excuse me, miss?" I called, waving to a nearby waitress. "When you have a minute, we're ready to order."

"Yes, sir!" our redheaded server replied. "I'll be with you in a minute!"

I settled back into my seat and returned my attention to my daughter. "Well, are you nervous?" I asked in an obviously teasing tone. "You're of marrying age, now."

"Are you?" she countered. "After all, you have a daughter of marrying age, now."

"Not really," I said, rotating my good shoulder. "I've been working on my swing with your grandpa Furukawa's help."

She giggled behind her hand. "I'm not nervous; after all, you'll protect me from any creepy boys, right?"

"Of course," I replied, resting my batting arm back on the table. "What kind of dad would I be otherwise?"

"R-Right. What kind of dad…?" Her eyes lost focus as she looked down at the table.

"Sweetie? You okay?"

She twitched, blinking as though snapping out of a train of thought. "Huh? Oh! I'm fine!"

"You sure?"

"Yes," she said, giving me one of her dazzling smiles. "Just a little scatterbrained, I guess."

I smiled as well, though more softly. "Okay."

"Good evening!" a new voice interrupted and we looked up as one to a pretty red-haired girl wearing waitress attire. "My name is Hana, and I'll be your server tonight. What can I get for you?"

"We'd both like the steak dinner, please," Ushio said before I could even open my mouth.

"Two steak dinners…that comes with a wine," our redheaded server said as she turned to my daughter. "Which would you like?"

"I…" her previous confidence disappeared at the unexpected question as she looked to me.

I smiled sympathetically. "Thank you miss, but she's not twenty yet. In fact, today's her sixteenth birthday."

Our waitress' expression brightened considerably. "Well, happy birthday!" She leaned down and pretended to nudge my daughter. "Don't worry about it," she said, her voice barely above a whisper, "I'm twenty-one, and on my twentieth birthday, some friends and I got absolutely plastered. Worst night of my life," she giggled. "Moderation; that's the key."

"Th-Thank you, ma'am," my poor Ushio managed to squeak out.

I made a point of clearing my throat…noisily.

"Oh! I'm so sorry, sir!" our waitress yelped. "That was very unprofessional of me!"

"Don't worry about it," I said evenly. "What alternatives do you have to wine?"

"W-We have soda and a variety of fruit juices," she managed, directing her gaze to me. "Sir? Just to try to clear things up, I didn't mean to insult your girlfriend or anything."

"Girlfriend?" How young did I look, anyway? My stomach sank as I reflexively checked on Ushio; she had paled and was looking at the tabletop again. "Sh-She's my daughter!"

I thought our server would faint. "Your daughter?! Oh sir, I am so sorry! Please don't report me to the manager!"

"I won't, I won't," I told her, lifting my hands in an effort to calm her. "Let's…just settle down, okay? How about we start from the beginning?"

"Y-Yes, sir."

"And let's try to stay away from personal stuff…for now. Can we do that?" I asked, sending her what I hoped was a disarming wink and a smile.

The color of her face suddenly matched that of her hair. "Y-Yes, sir."

"It's okay, Daddy," Ushio said quietly. "I know that I look a lot like Mom, so…"

I grunted in understanding. "Yeah, fair enough."

"Do you want me to come back, sir?" our server asked. "If you're waiting for your wife, I can come back when the three of you are ready."

I winced at a too-familiar pain. "It's fine," I told her. "She…won't be coming."

She gave us a puzzled look but said nothing.

"Mom died giving birth to me," Ushio said, and the emotion was unmistakable.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, sweetheart…"

"It's okay." Ushio shrugged with a weak smile. "I never met her, but Daddy's told me all about her."

"Tell you what; when you're ready for dessert, you consider it on me," our server told us while patting my daughter on the shoulder. "I want to help make your birthday special."

"You don't have to-"

"I insist, sir," she said, shifting her attention to me and her hand to my shoulder. "After all, she worked really hard to get where she is, and you must have worked really hard to help her get there."

I smiled in resignation. "All right; thank you, miss."

"Please; call me 'Hana'." Her gaze lingered on me a little more than I was comfortable with before stepping back to her more 'professional' place. "So, two steak dinners. What did you want to drink?"

"I'll have apple juice, please," I said, looking to my daughter, who gave me a look of surprise.

"It's okay; I don't mind if you drink wine," she told me.

"Thanks, sweetie," I said with a fond smile, "but I don't think it would be right to celebrate your birthday while drinking something you couldn't."

As expected, she blushed while casting her gaze to the table yet again. "I'll…have apple juice too, please."

"Two steak dinners, two apple juices," our server announced. She gave me a smile as she pocketed her order padd. "It should be ready shortly."

"Thank you, miss."

"Please…call me 'Hana'." I felt, more than saw, her give me a once-over before heading off to help someone else.

I shivered as I readjusted myself in my seat to face my daughter.

"Are you okay?" Ushio asked.

"I…think so," I replied, then tugged on my earlobe. "I feel like she was checking me out or something."

"Well, you are very handsome," she blurted, then covered her mouth at my look of surprise. "I'm sorry!"

"It's…okay," I managed. "Thanks?"

"Y-You're welcome." She looked to where our server had gone. "If she bothers you, I'll tell her to leave you alone."

"I don't think that'd work," I said, chuckling. "If she honored that, I'd never get to eat."

She giggled but, to my surprise, bristled as our waitress passed our table carrying a tray filled with someone's dinners. "Maybe we should ask for a different server."

"Ushio, it's fine," I said, laying my hand on her arm. "I'm a big boy now; I should be able to handle it. She just surprised me, that's all."

"If you say so," she grumbled, causing me to smile as I remembered reading somewhere that daughters could sometimes become jealous for their father's attention.

"Let it go, please. If she becomes a problem, I'll handle her," I said.

"She looked like she'd like it if you handled her-"

"Ushio!"

Her eyes snapped open wide as her face paled. "Oh Daddy, I'm…I'm so sorry!"

"Calm down, calm down… Just…drop it, okay?"

"Okay. I'm sorry."

I sighed with a smile. "I forgive you. Let's just move on, okay?"

"Okay."

Our server arrived a few minutes later with our meals. "Here you go!" she chirped as she set steaming plates before each of us.

"Thank you," I said, then looked meaningfully at my daughter.

"Thank you," she finally managed to say.

"You're welcome, sweetie," our waitress said while patting her on the head. "You're so adorable! I wish I had a little sister like you!" Stepping back to her 'professional' spot again she said, "Well, if you need anything, don't hesitate to call me." With one final glance at me, she headed off to her other duties.

As she left, Ushio spoke up: "I guess she's okay; I still wouldn't want you dating her, though."

I couldn't help but laugh. "Don't worry, Shio-chan; I'm not interested in dating." I reached over to pat her head. "No one could replace your mother, anyway."

"Yeah…" she said, getting that thoughtful look in her eyes again.

"Well," I said, wanting to lighten the mood, "let's eat!"

She smiled and we both put our hands together. "Itadakimasu."

"So, what are your goals for the next year?" I asked as we ate.

She blushed with a mouth full of food, which I thought was cute. "Well…I want to work on being a better woman, so…so…"

I had to force myself to keep from leaning forward in anticipation.

"…so I can be a good wife."

I blinked; what a remarkable young woman. "That's…That's a great goal, sweetie!" I exclaimed.

"Thank you," she said quietly with her face nearly ablaze as she looked down. "So I'm going to be working on keeping a better house for you; cooking, cleaning…"

"You already do a fantastic job," I said encouragingly. "Your cooking is fantastic, and-"

"But it could be a lot better!" she said, looking intently at me. "I wish I could learn from Fujibayashi-sensei; her cooking was amazing."

"Well, maybe when she escapes from prison you can ask her," I said with mirth in my expression.

I was relieved to see her giggle. "You're right! Okay, when Fujibayashi-sensei escapes, I'll ask her to tutor me."

"Sounds like a plan. Anything else?"

"Well…cooking, cleaning…I just want to be a great wife someday."

"Don't you want to go to university?"

She sighed. "Yeah, but…I don't want to spend a bunch of years learning, then a bunch of years working, and then try to have kids when I'm almost too old." She fixed her gaze on me. "I want to get married, have kids, then go to school and work after they move out."

I mulled over her words and could see the logic. "You've really thought this out, haven't you?"

She nodded solemnly. "I don't want to end up in my thirties and not have enough time to have children."

I reflexively thought of Kyou and her unfortunate situation. "Yeah, I think I get what you mean."

"Then you're okay with it?" she asked, leaning toward me. "You'll support me in this?"

I smiled as I reached out to cover her hand. "As long as you work hard at it, I'll back you up in any way I can."

I loved the look of pure happiness that burst onto her face. "Oh, thank you, Daddy! I'll work hard, you'll see! I'll be the best wife ever!"

"I'm sure you will," I said, giving her hand a couple of pats. "Do your best, then."

My little girl positively glowed as we finished the rest of our meal.

* * *

I suppressed a burp, containing it within my mouth as we left the warmth of the restaurant. "Ugh, excuse me."

"Don't worry about it," Ushio giggled. "I think I ate too much, too."

I pulled out the receipt to make sure we'd been charged correctly; I had an unfortunate habit of forgetting to check receipts until I got home, so this was an improvement. "Let's see…steak dinners, juices…hey, what's this number? We didn't order anything this expensive!"

I was about to storm back into the restaurant when a touch to my arm stopped me. "May I see that?" Ushio asked. I handed over the receipt with a look of confusion, but kept quiet as she studied it.

Suddenly her expression darkened, and she moved as though to tear the receipt. "Wait!" I yelped, grabbing for the receipt. "What are you doing?"

She pointed to the paper in my hand. "That's…That's…"

"'That's' what? What's the matter?" I looked down at the receipt again; it must have been something about the way I'd been holding it, because it suddenly became clear what the other numbers were. "A phone number?"

Ushio took it from me again and held it by the very top and bottom. "It's that girl's number," she said with no small amount of disdain.

My eyes widened at her tone. "Okay, so she wrote her number on there." I double-checked, and…yeah. "She wrote it in pencil, so I'll just erase it when we get home."

"Really?" she asked, her expression brightening a little.

"I told you, I'm not interested in dating. In fact, I may give a little call to the restaurant about this," I said, waving the receipt. "Now, let's get home, okay?"

"Okay!" she chirped, then took hold of my arm.

I nearly jumped out of my skin at the sudden contact. "Sh-Shio-chan?"

"Is this okay? I said I wanted to practice being a wife. Is this okay?"

What little internal struggle I had ended with a chuckle. "Okay, fine. Let's go."

Since we had talked so much at the restaurant, we didn't have much to say on the way home. I was still a little puzzled by my daughter's behavior, but I just chalked it up to it being new. I figured that if anything became a problem that I'd just talk to her about it, set things straight.

As we approached our apartment, I saw a figure huddled next to the door to our unit, obviously shivering. "Hey," I said, releasing Ushio to run toward the individual; whoever it was had been outside for a while, because the person's coat was coated with snow. "It's too cold to be outside like this."

"Who is it?" Ushio asked.

I lifted the shaking figure's hood to reveal: "K-Kyou?"

Watery eyes looked up at us from under purple bangs. "H-H-H-Hi."


	3. Pampering

**Chapter Three: Pampering**

"Thanks," Kyou said as she accepted the steaming mug from her former student.

"So, what happened?" I asked. "Did he finally kick you out?"

"Yeah," she said before taking a sip of her tea. "Bastard said I didn't even have to worry about divorce papers; he has…connections."

"Isn't that good? In a way, I mean?" Ushio asked. "At least you wouldn't have to see him again."

"True," Kyou grunted; then, her eyes started to moisten. "The only thing he really took from me is ten years of my life. Ten…god…damn…YEARS!" she finished before taking another shuddering sip.

My daughter and I exchanged a glance, and I figured we knew what the other was thinking; I had pretty strict rules when it came to language in the Okazaki household, but I also understood that this was an unusual situation. "Well, for what it's worth you can stay here as long as you need to," I reminded her.

"I know," she said before blowing on her mug. "That's why I came straight here. I can't face Mom and Dad – or even Ryou – until I get my shit straightened out."

"Are you hungry, sensei?" Ushio asked. "I can make-"

She didn't get to finish her sentence as Kyou broke down, quickly but carefully placing the mug down before covering her face to cry hysterically. Great, heaving sobs nearly – no, actually – shook her body, and Ushio and I were by her side in an instant. "Kyou? What's wrong?"

My former sparring partner was crying so hard that she could only sputter out random syllables between heaves. It took several minutes of my daughter and I just holding her, trying to ignore the intense smell of cigarette smoke, before she finally calmed down enough to speak. "When…When you called me 'sensei'…" She reached out toward Ushio, who took her hand, "…I suddenly felt really sad, and I couldn't help it."

"Maybe it reminded you of happier times," I suggested quietly. "Of teaching her and picking on me."

In spite of the tears, she managed to bark out a laugh. "Aw dammit, now I'm confused; I don't know whether to laugh or cry."

"I'd suggest crying first," I said carefully. "Ushio and I will give you plenty of reasons to laugh later. Right now, I think you need to grieve."

"You're probably right," she hiccupped, dabbing her eyes with a tissue. "But don't tell anyone, or I'll deny it."

"My lips are sealed," I said, smiling down into her tear-stained face. I couldn't imagine why any man would treat a woman as beautiful as Kyou this way…I blinked in surprise at the unexpected thought.

"You okay, Tomoya?" Kyou asked in a shuddering voice as she waved a hand before my face. "You didn't have another 'idiot' moment, did you?"

"Maybe," I replied, recovering enough to give her a lopsided grin. Then, I directed my attention to my daughter. "Ushio, I think Sensei here needs some spoiling. Would you work on something for her to eat while I draw a bath?"

"Of course!" she chirped, hopping to her feet.

I started to my feet as well, only to find myself pulled back down. "Hey, Tomoya…"

"Y-Yeah?"

She fixed me with her soft, purple eyes. "…Thanks."

"No problem."

She glanced over at Ushio before whispering to me. "Have you given her the card, yet?"

"Not yet," I whispered back. "I was planning on giving it to her at dinner, along with mine."

I saw gears turning, then: "Wait…is today her birthday?"

I nodded with a slight smile.

"Damn. And I just had to go and do this on her birthday."

"It's not your fault," I replied, still whispering. "Besides, I don't think she minds; with how worried she's been about you, she probably thinks of having you here as one of her gifts."

She snorted, then quickly covered her mouth; fortunately Ushio was far enough away and humming something to herself that I figured she likely didn't hear. "That…makes me really happy," she admitted once she could speak again.

"Good," I said. "Now…could you let go of my arm? It's hard to pamper you with a bath if you're holding onto me."

She wrinkled her nose at me, giving my arm a pinch before releasing me. "Go, servant."

"Yes, milady," I smirked as I got to my feet again.

As I tested the water temperature for the umpteenth time I thought about Kyou's situation. She'd just been kicked out of her home of ten years, presumably without any money. "I should let Mom and Dad know as soon as possible," I muttered, thinking of her parents. "Maybe I should wait a few days, first; Kyou might not be ready to see them just yet. Her sister either, for that matter."

I finally got the bath to the right temperature and returned to the living room to find Kyou eagerly working on a bowl of ramen. I looked to Ushio, who shrugged with a light blush. "I tried to make something that was quick and easy."

"This is better than I've eaten in a long time," Kyou muffled through a mouthful of noodles. "Thanks."

"Glad you're happy," I told her with a gentle smile. "The bath is ready when you are."

"Could I…?"

I looked back to my daughter. "What is it?"

"If Fujibayashi-sensei's okay with it…could I…could I…?"

"Could you what?" Kyou muffled again.

Ushio squeezed her eyes shut, her fists at her sides. "COULD I TAKE A BATH WITH YOU, SENSEI?"

I bit back my laughter at her outburst as I looked to our guest. "I don't mind if you don't."

"Are you sure?" Kyou asked more clearly, having swallowed her mouthful of food. "I smell like cigarette smoke pretty badly."

"I…I want to help you wash away the smoke," Ushio replied with wide-eyed innocence. "I want to help…wash away the pain."

I smiled softly at my daughter; she had to have learned that from Nagisa's parents. "You're a kind girl, Ushio."

"Yeah…" Kyou breathed. "There's no way she learned that from you."

"I figured it was from Pops and Sanae," I agreed, earning a surprised look from my old sparring partner.

She snorted before looking back to my daughter. "Sure, we can do that. And you can tell me about how much of a creep your dad's been."

I chuckled under my breath; it was good to see Kyou becoming her old-

"He's not a creep! You take that back! He's a wonderful man!" Ushio blurted, then quickly covered her mouth. "I-I'm sorry!"

"Ushio…" I said in my best warning tone, "she's a guest in our home."

"B-But…" she stammered, then seemed to gain confidence. "Is it really right for a guest to insult someone who's doing something nice for her?"

"That's-"

"She's right, Tomoya," Kyou interrupted. "Shio-chan, I'm sorry for talking about your dad like that." She looked to me with an expression of regret. "Tomoya, I'm sorry for talking about you like that. It won't happen again."

"Thanks?" I said, surprised by her behavior.

Kyou's expression then turned to an impish grin. "After I move out of here I'll go back to making fun of you."

"Sounds good," I said with a smile of my own.

"But-"

"It's okay, Ushio," I said. "This is the way we've been for as long as we've known each other…though we have settled down since…well, since we graduated from high school, huh?"

"Yeah," Kyou mused as she gazed up at me. "It takes more energy to jab you than it used to. I'll probably poke at you for a while after I move out, then settle down again."

"Sounds good," I repeated with another smile.

* * *

"I'm going to step outside for a few minutes while you're in the tub," I told the girls as they headed into the bathroom with what appeared to be our entire stock of towels.

"Okay," they replied in unison before closing the door behind them.

I smiled as I picked up my cell phone and jacket and headed for the front door. I stepped through and locked the door behind me, then quickly searched for the number on my phone and dialed it.

After a few rings a lovely female voice answered. _"Fujibayashi residence."_

"Hi, Mom."

" _Ah! Tomoya-san!"_ I couldn't help but smile at how she was always happy to hear from me. _"It's nice of you to call!"_

"Thanks, it's good to talk to you again," I replied. "Listen, I, uh…have some news."

I could feel a dark cloud start to cover the other end of the call. _"Is…Is she okay?"_

"She's fine, all things considered," I told her. "Ushio and I found her waiting next to the front door when we got back from her birthday dinner. I'm sorry, I really didn't know she was coming or we would have waited or something."

" _Is she okay?"_

"She's fine, all things considered," I said before realizing I was repeating myself as well. "She, uh…didn't have a lot of snow on her when we found her, so…" I wasn't sure how to finish that thought. "…so she's inside, had something to eat and is now taking a bath with my daughter."

" _A sixteen-year-old and a thirty-six-year-old?"_

"Kyou didn't seem to mind," I remarked. "Ushio asked and she accepted. I don't know if you know this, but my daughter really loved her when she was in her class. This…situation…has been tearing her up, and…well, she said she wanted to help Kyou 'wash away' her past."

" _How did she look?"_

"Tired, mainly. Her time with what's-his-name seemed to drain the life from her." My stomach lurched as I remembered that I was talking to Kyou's mother. "B-But don't worry! Ushio and I are taking good care of her! We have all kinds of plans for spoiling her, and-"

" _Should…Should Ryu and I come for her?"_

I sighed heavily. "Could you give us a few days? She's feeling a lot of shame right now, and I think if she saw you too soon…well, she'd feel worse."

" _What about seeing her sister?"_

"Same answer. I'd hold off for now. I'm sorry."

" _I understand. Well, when you think she's ready for family again, please_ _please_ _let us know and we'll be right over."_

"Got it, Mom. Thanks for understanding. I can only imagine how hard it must be for you right now."

" _We've waited for two years; we can wait a few more days."_

"You're a strong woman," I said with more than a little admiration. "Listen, I need to get back inside; I told the girls I was going outside for a bit, but I didn't tell them I was calling you."

" _And it_ _is_ _cold outside, young man,"_ she said, bringing a smile to my face with her motherly tone. _"You_ _are_ _wearing your winter coat, I hope?"_

"Yes, ma'am," I replied, tugging on the collar of my jacket. "My thick, blue one."

" _Good; I don't want my favorite son catching cold out there."_

I couldn't help but chuckle. "Have a good night, Mom; I'll keep you updated."

" _Thank you, sweetheart. Good night."_

Satisfied, I closed the phone and headed back indoors. I shrugged out of my coat and hung it up before heading over to the kitchen area to clean up. I smiled as I could hear the girls talking and giggling together in the bath, and I was happy for Ushio, that she could have the time with her beloved teacher again. I was also happy for Kyou and her freedom; now she could live the life she wanted to, even if she would be starting ten years late.

I nodded gratefully as I heard the water draining from the tub; like most Japanese, we kept the tub filled at all times, but I knew it would take several baths and showers to get all of the smoke-smell out of Kyou's hair.

I had started to consider suggesting that Kyou cut her hair to speed up the process, when I heard the door to the bathroom open. I chuckled as I heard giggling along with footsteps, heading my way.

"Hey, Tomoya." I turned to the source, and found Kyou, along with my daughter, watching me from the hall entrance. They were both wearing robes, and their freshly-washed hair was somehow wrapped up in towels. "Check this out." She nodded to Ushio, and they both smiled as they dropped their robes.

"What the-" I blurted as I quickly turned my back to them in horror.

More giggling, and then I heard Ushio's voice: "It's okay, you can look."

I turned slowly to find each of them wearing nothing but a smile…and a set of nightclothes. I sighed in relief. "You gave me quite a scare, there."

"There's nothing scary about a woman's body," Kyou said with a grin as Ushio giggled some more.

"I know, but…" I couldn't finish my thought with my nerves fried the way they were.

"I'm sorry, Daddy," Ushio said. "Kyou-sensei thought it would be funny, but I knew you wouldn't look."

"Hey, you thought it would be funny, too!" Kyou protested, causing my eyebrows to jump.

"I…I didn't think it all the way through!" my daughter countered. "You're my teacher, and I never thought you'd ask me to do something…perverted!"

"Ushio," I started, finally getting my nerves realigned, "she was your kindergarten teacher, and you know how much she likes to tease people, me in particular." I gave a moment for that to sink in, then: "You are now sixteen years old and need to start thinking for yourself. It was your choice to go along with her idea. Do you understand?"

"Y-Yes, Daddy," she replied with a blush and her gaze firmly on the floor.

"Wait a minute, Tomoya-"

"And you," I continued, turning my irritation on my old sparring partner, "I realize that I invited you here, but that was to help you escape from that dirtbag of a so-called 'man', not so you could come in and start causing trouble or warping the mind of my teenaged daughter."

To her credit, she blinked wide eyes but said nothing.

I rubbed my hands over my face and, surprisingly, some of the stress left me. "All right… Can we start over? Honestly, I think I was more shocked that my daughter would do something like that, so I probably overreacted."

"I…I don't think you overreacted," Kyou said quietly.

"Excuse me?"

Kyou looked at me with regret in her eyes, the second time that night, and I mentally kicked myself. "I'm sorry; I guess I'm feeling a little rebellious after being under his thumb for so long. I really didn't mean to cause trouble." She smiled bashfully. "I guess I was feeling young again."

I blew air noisily between my lips. "Well, I guess that's understandable. Just…if you're going to tease me while you're here, just keep it between us, okay?"

"Yes, sir," she replied, giving me a salute.

I chuckled before turning my attention back to my blushing daughter. "Ushio? Are we okay? Do you need anything from me?"

"A hug?" she said, finally looking up at me with watery, regretful eyes.

Those eyes warmed and softened my heart almost immediately. "Of course, sweetie," I replied, spreading my arms.

I was a little surprised to see my old friend take a hesitant step toward me as Ushio hurried forward and threw herself into my embrace, rubbing her face against me and causing the towel to fall from her head.

"I'm not mad," I said softly, closing my eyes as I stroked her soft, damp hair that smelled like flowers. "I still love you."

"I love you, too, Daddy," she muffled into my shirt.

I held her like that until Kyou's voice interrupted: "Hey, uh…" I opened my eyes to the sight of Kyou shifting her weight from one foot to the other, watching us. "Could…Could I be next?"

It didn't take a genius to figure out her reason. "Sure. Just give us another minute, okay?"

"Okay."

Shortly after that, Ushio released me, stepping away as she wiped her nose with the back of her hand. "Sorry about that."

"It's in the past, now," I told her. "Let's move on."

"Sure," she said with a smile and a giggle before turning to her old teacher. "He's all yours, sensei."

I saw a smile mixed with fear as Kyou slowly made her way up to me. "Y-You know, I'll understand if you don't want to; I've treated you like shit in the past, and I smell like smoke, and…"

I said nothing, but let the warmth in my heart show on my face as I spread my arms toward her.

"…and…and…oh, fuck it." She launched herself at me almost the same way Ushio had a few minutes prior, and her head came to rest against my chest as her arms snaked up my back, and I had to suppress a shiver as I remembered how Nagisa would hold me in much the same way so many years ago.

"How's it feel?" I managed to ask.

"Oh my god…" she mumbled into me, nearly choking on the words. "I'd almost forgotten what it felt…like…to…to…" She couldn't finish her sentence as she melted into tears for the second time that evening.


	4. Initial Contact

**Chapter Four: Initial Contact**

"…and that's how you prepare Pork Cutlets," Kyou finished, presenting her creation to Ushio's wide eyes.

"Amazing…"

"I promise you; you make this for the boy you like and he'll fall in love with you, guaranteed," Kyou said with a confident smile.

"Kyou…" I warned, though halfheartedly.

"Hee hee," she replied as Ushio blushed while glancing at me. "Well, Tomoya? Ready to try my Love Potion?"

"Sure, I'll risk it," I said, settling down at my spot at the kotatsu. "I'm not a boy anymore, after all."

"You certainly aren't," Kyou cooed while giving me a catty look.

"Kyou…" I warned, more earnestly this time.

She burst out laughing as she turned back to the counter to retrieve our meal. "Jeez, Tomoya; you're so gullible!"

I couldn't help but chuckle at her antics, "Seriously though, thanks for making dinner the last few nights."

"You're welcome," she said as she and my daughter brought dinner to the table, placing it among the plates I had set earlier. "It's nice to be cooking again; I already feel a little more normal."

"I figured you were okay after you started taking jabs at me," I quipped with a smile.

"What can I say?" she said, flipping her hair and sending a slight smell of smoke though the apartment. "You make it so easy."

As we shared a laugh I glanced over at Ushio, who appeared to be trying not to bristle. She calmed down, however, blushing with a shy smile when I sent a wink and a smile her way.

"C'mon," Kyou complained, "the food's gonna get cold! Let's eat!"

Ushio and I shared another smile as we all put our hands together. "Itadakimasu."

"So, are you ready to reconnect with your family?" I asked as we started to fill our plates. We had talked a few times about reconnecting with her sister, or even her parents. Initially, Kyou had been understandably hesitant, but since then she had been warming up to the idea. I figured it was due, in part, to her quitting smoking and starting to put her life back together. "I can make the arrangements, if it would help."

"I think I'm ready," she replied, grinning at my sigh of relief. "I can't stay here and keep mooching off you; I need to find out what's out there for me."

"I don't think of you as a moocher, but I think I understand," I replied before taking a bite of dinner.

"I've been very happy to have you here," Ushio remarked. "Thank you for teaching me so much about cooking and cleaning and…and boys."

"Only about half of which was right," I quipped, earning a dirty look from Kyou.

"Shut up," she retorted with fake annoyance. "Anyway, I think I'm ready, but I'd like to see about crashing with Ryou and her husband first; I've been sheltered so long that I'm not sure how the world works anymore, and I'd like to have family as a launch pad…if that makes any sense."

"I think so," I said. "Did you want to at least talk with Mom and Dad? They haven't heard from you in a long time."

"Mom and Dad?" Kyou asked with a puzzled look.

"That's right; I never told you." I put down my chopsticks and leaned back on my hands. "After our…second get-together? Third? Anyway, you know that after we got together a few times I started letting your parents know how you were doing, right?"

"Right…"

"Well, your mom and dad and I got along so well that we kinda unofficially adopted each other as family."

"What about Nagisa's parents?"

"We're still family," Ushio interjected. "We get together every so often, and I visit them a couple of times a week after school."

"That's good to hear," Kyou remarked.

"Anyway, would you like to at least talk to your parents? You could use my cell phone," I offered. "I think at this point it'd be good for all three of you."

I watched as she shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "I don't know…"

"I'm not trying to push," I told her, then paused. "Well, maybe a little."

"That eager to get rid of me?" she said while smiling knowingly.

"Yeah," I deadpanned. "Pack your crap."

"D-Daddy!"

I burst into laughter. "It's okay, Ushio, I'm just kidding!"

"Your dad gives almost as good as he gets," Kyou quipped before laughing with me.

It felt good laughing with an old friend; being able to be even a little carefree took some of the ache away, however temporarily. "So, how about it? I can call Ryou and make the arrangements, and then you can call your parents. How about that?"

Kyou's eyes lost focus as her chopsticks paused halfway to her mouth. Finally… "Yeah…let's do it. I miss Mom and Dad anyway."

After dinner, I stepped outside with my phone while the girls cleared the table. I found Ryou's home number and had my phone dial it.

A familiar voice answered. _"Hello?"_

"Hey, Fujibayashi," I greeted somewhat tongue-in-cheek; I knew darn well that she was married, but I still liked to call her by her maiden name on occasion…for old time's sake. "Can you spare a minute?"

" _Tomoya-san!"_ she greeted, and I could hear her husband shout happily in the background. _"Um, Kappei says 'hi'."_

"Thanks. Tell him 'hi' for me, too. Listen, uh… Kyou wants to stay with family now, so we were hoping you'd let her crash there while she gets her life back together."

" _Oh, we'd_ _love_ _to have her! When did you have in mind?"_

"Honestly, we didn't talk about that. When would be a good time for the two of you? Maybe the soonest time?"

 _"Well, our weekdays are pretty busy, but…how about Saturday morning? Mika and Tadashi will be in school, and Kyou could be here to surprise them when they get home."_

"That sounds good. Hey, what grade are your kids in now?"

" _That's right; you haven't been able to visit in quite a while, huh?"_

"Well, our schedules haven't quite lined up, and…well…"

" _Yeah."_

I knew that not all friendships stayed as strong after graduation. Ryou and I were on good terms, of course, but after we graduated and Ryou got married to Hiiragi Kappei shortly afterward, and then their first pregnancy…we just kinda drifted apart. While I had been trying to drink myself into oblivion over Nagisa's death, the Hiiragis had been busy with Kappei's career and raising their children. I'd only seen Mika once, and I couldn't remember when. I'd never seen their son.

 _"Anyway,"_ she continued _, "she'll be starting her third year of high school and he'll be starting his third year of middle school next year."_

"Is she going to Hikarizaka?"

" _Of course! How about your daughter? How is she doing?"_

"Pretty good. She just turned sixteen recently…"

" _How exciting!"_

"…and she kinda received a birthday present in the form of your sister's arrival."

A giggle. _"How neat. Will she be going to Hikarizaka next year?"_

"That's the plan," I replied. "First-year student, Okazaki Ushio."

" _You must be very proud."_

"I am, thanks. She's earned it. Anyway, I'll check with Kyou, but I think Saturday morning should be just fine. I'll talk with her and give you a follow-up call to work out a time. Is that okay?"

" _That sounds fine."_

"Good. Well, thanks Ryou, and I'll catch you later."

" _All right. Take care, Tomoya-san."_

"You, too. Bye." I ended the call and tucked my cell into my pants pocket as I headed back into the apartment. Inside, I found the kotatsu cleared and the girls working on the dishes in the kitchen. "Hey, Kyou; would Saturday morning work for you? For going to your sister's, I mean?"

She paused in her scrubbing of a pot. "That should work," she finally replied, returning to her scrubbing.

"Ryou was saying that you'd get there while your niece and nephew are in school, then you could surprise them when they get home."

"Oh my god, you're right!" she squealed. "I haven't seen them since…wow, since they were eight and…five, I think."

"Well, they're not little anymore," I told her. "Or eight or five. She'll be going into her third year of high school at Hikarizaka and he's doing his last year of middle school."

"Wow…" she breathed, her scrubbing slowing again as her eyes became unfocused. "Where does the time go?"

"Well, if you ever figure it out, let me know," I told her. "I've got five years I'd like back."

"D-Daddy…" Ushio giggled from Kyou's other side as she rinsed a plate.

I watched the two for another minute, then took out my cell and placed it on the kotatsu. "Here, let me take over," I said to Kyou as I rolled up my sleeves. "I left my phone over there, so I'll take over for you so you can make your call."

"Thanks," she said, flashing me a smile of gratitude. "Is my folks' number in your phone?"

"Yeah, it's under 'Fujibayashi, R&R'."

"Got it," she said, retrieving my phone. Out of the corner of my eye, I watched her nibble on a nail as my phone dialed her parents' number. "H-Hi, Mom? It's me."

I grinned as I heard a squeal come from the phone.

"Yeah, I'm fine… Yeah, I've been staying with Tomoya… Yeah… Yeah… I'm a lot better, thanks." Kyou drew a lock of her hair over her ear, and I could swear I saw her get a few of her lost years back. "Yeah, it was a really stupid choice, but… No… No, I didn't know… Yeah… That's true… Thanks, Mom; I really needed to hear that…. Yeah… Hey, is Dad there? Could I talk to him for a bit? Thanks." She must have caught me watching while she waited, because she gave me the happiest smile I'd seen on her in a long time. "Hiiiiiii, Dad!" she said suddenly, interrupting our exchange. "It's great to hear your voice again! Yeah…"

"I'm so happy for her," Ushio said quietly as Kyou continued to talk. "I can't imagine being away from you for ten years."

"Thanks," I said. "I know I'd miss you an awful lot if something like that happened to you."

"Well, you'll never have to worry about that," she replied confidently.

I was about to ask her what she meant when I noticed a change in Kyou's tone. "Y-Yeah… Y-Yeah, Mom said that, too… *sniff* Yeah…"

As I saw her cover her mouth with her free hand, I rinsed my hands and dried them before heading over to where Kyou stood trembling, my phone still to her ear. _"Is everything okay?"_ I mouthed to her.

She nodded before blotting her eyes with the back of her hand. "Yeah… Yeah, Daddy, I've missed you, too…" _"Mom and Dad started crying,"_ she mouthed back. "Yeah… Well, look…I've got to go; I'll be moving in with Ryou and Kappei on Saturday, and I want to make sure I'm ready. Me and my few things," she finished with a shuddering chuckle. "It's so good to be able to talk to you again, and I look forward to seeing you on Sunday… Yeah… Love you both… Bye, Daddy." She handed me the phone and let her shoulders slump as she turned her face to the ceiling; it was as though she was trying to look to the heavens. "I'm…exhausted!"

"I'll bet," I said sympathetically. "Did you want to take a bath?"

"Yes, please," Kyou breathed. "I could use one about now."

"I'll take care of it!" Ushio chirped. "I just rinsed the last plate."

"Thanks, sweetie," I said.

"Yeah, thanks," Kyou echoed.

"Would it be okay if I joined you?" Ushio asked. The two of them bathing together had become routine.

"Not this time," my purple-haired friend said, shaking her head. "I'd like to be alone for a while. I've just had….yeah."

"Maybe next time, then," my daughter said before heading down the hallway.

"So, how was it?" I asked as Kyou plopped down next to the kotatsu.

"It was…good," she replied. "It was hard, hearing their voices again after what seemed like forever."

"I'll bet."

She sighed, staring straight ahead before looking up at me. "Listen Tomoya, thanks for everything. I really don't know what would've happened if you hadn't given me someplace to crash."

"What're friends for?" I said softly, smiling at her.

"Giving losers like me somewhere to crash," she snorted. "I don't know what I ever saw in him."

"I don't know, either," I said carefully, "but I'm sorry you ended up dealing with all that. It's behind you now, though, right?"

A small, weak smile spread across her face; she looked so vulnerable. "Right."

* * *

"I'm off to bed," Ushio announced, squeezing the ends of her hair in a towel as she headed toward me.

"All right," I replied, tilting my head to receive her customary kiss on the cheek. "See you in the morning."

"Hey, what about me?" Kyou pretended to protest, a recent addition to our custom.

"Of course, sensei," Ushio giggled, leaning over to give her beloved teacher a kiss on the cheek as well.

As Ushio headed down the hallway to her room, Kyou turned to me. "Seriously, Tomoya? You've done an awesome job taking care of her. I mean, all by yourself?"

"I didn't do it alone," I told her. "Mom and Dad Furukawa have helped, too."

"But still…"

I sighed, leaning back on my hands and rotated my neck to work out a couple of kinds. "I did the best I could with what I had."

"I really do think you did an awesome job."

"Thanks."

After that brief exchange we watched TV for a little while, mainly catching up on the news and the weather reports. As we watched I could feel Kyou lean up against me. I didn't mind, figuring she was still suffering from 'affection-deficit disorder'.

"Well, I need to turn in," I announced, gently nudging her with the shoulder she'd been using as a pillow of sorts. "You can keep watching, if you want."

"I'm good," she said, raising the remote to shut off the TV.

"Good night, then," I said as I started to my feet.

"Hey, Tomoya."

"Yeah?-WHOA!" I yelped as I was suddenly pulled back to the floor. By the time I got my wits back I found Kyou straddling my lap. "I don't have time for games right now, Kyou; I've got work tomorrow."

"This isn't a game," she said in a silky voice and fire in her eyes, causing my blood to heat up as she kneaded my shoulders. "Do you remember what I asked a long time ago?"

I wracked my rattled brain, trying to think of when she ever asked anything of me. "N-No… The only thing I can remember was offering to let you stay here after your escape."

The chuckle she gave was low and throaty, raising red flags everywhere. "I made one request, but you turned it down at the time. I've been hoping that you've changed your mind since then."

I swallowed, even though my throat was dry. "Wh-What did you ask for?"

Her smile was mysterious as she leaned down to bring her mouth next to my ear, and my skin tingled at the tickle of her breath. _"I asked you to have sex with me,"_ she whispered.

"K-Kyou…?" Was she serious? "K-Kyou…I'm a married man."

"No, you're not," she purred. "Nagisa's dead, Tomoya….but I'm not."

I finally remembered that I had hands and grabbed her around the waist and somehow pushed her upright again. "What's gotten into you?"

"Nothing, yet," she purred again, laying her hands on my arms, "but I was hoping you'd help me with that."

I swallowed hard. "No, I m-mean what brought this on all of a sudden?"

"I haven't been loved in almost a decade, Tomoya," she replied softly as she took one of my hands and laid it between her breasts, and I could feel her heart pounding. "My heart feels empty."

"A-And what makes you think I could…fill it?"

She fixed me with her gaze, and I found myself unable to look away. "I've wanted you since our second year of high school."

I blinked in surprise. "But that's…ten…fifteen…" I tried to do the math to ignore my own awakening libido.

"Almost twenty years," she answered. "Do you know what kept me from killing myself while I was with Sato?"

So that was her husband's name. "No."

She removed my hand from her chest to hold it in both of hers. "Knowing that, no matter what, you would take care of me after he got rid of me."

"Kyou, I…" I wasn't sure what to say; while my body was screaming for sex thanks in part to her behavior, my mind and heart still belonged to Nagisa. "I can't."

"I…I understand," she said sadly, appearing to deflate as she released my hand to lean forward and touch my forehead with hers. "I'm sorry for being so-"

"Is everything all-WHAT'S GOING ON?" My stomach slithered to my slippers at the sight of my daughter at the entrance to the hallway, eyes wide. "Sensei, what are you doing to Daddy?"

"Shio-chan, I'm sorry, I just-"

"GET OFF OF HIM" she yelled as she charged at us, knocking Kyou over and landing on top of her in the process.

"Ushio!" I bellowed, trying to regain some kind of control. "Get up!"

She obeyed, but put herself between me and her former teacher. "T...Daddy is not your toy to play with!"

"Ushio," I nearly growled as I got to my feet, "please go back to your room. We're fine."

"N-No!" she cried, though I could tell she had to struggle to defy me. "Not after what she did!"

"To. Your. Room. Now. We will talk tomorrow."

"Tomoya, she just-" Kyou started to say, but I cut her off with a glare before returning it to my daughter.

For her part, Ushio stood trembling before me for a moment before bursting into tears as she ran to her room.

The moment she was out of sight I sighed, putting my hand to my head. "Sorry, Kyou; she's never acted like that before."

"Tomoya, I was forcing myself on you…"

I sighed again. "I'm going to bed. Good night, Kyou."

"G-Good night."

I headed down the hall to my room, cringing as I heard my daughter crying as I passed her room. "What a day…"


	5. Home Delivery

**Chapter Five: Home Delivery**

"Ushio, can we talk before you go?"

My daughter turned wary eyes on me as we ate at the kotatsu. It was just the two of us this morning; Kyou had gone out to give us the time we needed. "O-Of course."

I sighed. "Look, I'm not sure how to say this, but…I'm sorry for the way I treated you last night. I guess I was just shocked at your behavior, and just wanted to get you and Kyou-sensei away from each other. I can't…I just can't remember you ever acting like this before."

"I'm sorry too, Daddy," she murmured. "I shouldn't have hurt Kyou-sensei the way I did. I was…surprised…to…seethetwoofyoulikethat."

"For what it's worth, I was just as surprised as you were." I reached out and covered one of her hands. "Look…I don't know if this'll make any sense, but she's feeling empty in her heart right now. She hasn't felt loved in a long time, so she wanted me to…well, love her." I obviously wanted to keep the more intimate aspects of the situation to myself, for Ushio's sake as well as Kyou's.

"She looked like she wanted to have sex with you," she said, pulling her hand out from under mine.

My vision blurred briefly as I started to choke on a noodle. "Wh-What makes you say that?" I managed to wheeze after sending it down the correct pipe.

"The way she was sitting on you and how warm it was in the room," she replied, looking down at the tabletop.

"H-How do you know about these things?" I sputtered, and then my blood grew cold. "You…You haven't been-"

"NO!" she yelled with her eyes squeezed shut and her hands fisted. "I-I'm saving myself!"

"Good," I breathed, my heart rate returning to normal. "Sorry, with the way you were talking, I just…"

"I-It's okay, Daddy; it makes me really happy that you're worried about me." She sighed sadly as she lifted her eyes to mine. "I've…heard my classmates talk about it at school."

"I see…"

"So when I saw you and Kyou-sensei like that…" she cast her gaze to the side.

"I understand." I gave her a lopsided smile. "Well, I guess I could thank you for trying to protect me."

"Y-You're welcome. I guess at this point, the right thing to do would be to apologize to Kyou-sensei and to you. So, I'm sorry."

"I forgive you," I told her. "If it helps, remember that she'll be going to her sister's on Saturday morning."

She giggled behind her hand. "It doesn't, but I think I know why you'd say that. Like I said, I was surprised and acted before I thought. I'll miss her."

"Hey, it's not like you'll never see her again. Do you know where the Hiiragis live?"

"Sort of," she said. "I think I know where the neighborhood is, but I don't know which street or house."

"Well, when I get the address from Kyou's sister, I'll make sure to give it to you."

"Thank you, Daddy. And I'll make sure to apologize to Kyou-sensei when I get home from school."

"Sounds good," I said as I watched her collect her book bag. "Look, I hope this hasn't ruined your day; I hope you have a good one."

"You, too," she replied. "It was kind of a rough start, but I'll be okay." She stepped up to me and hopped to her tiptoes, putting a hand on my shoulder and kissing me on the cheek. "I love you; have a good day a t work."

As I saw her off I wiped the corner of my mouth with my handkerchief; her aim had been a little off and she'd accidentally caught the corner of my mouth. After that, I grabbed my briefcase and headed off to work.

* * *

"You have all your stuff?"

"Yup!" Kyou chirped as she closed her bag. "But if I've left anything here, you can use it."

"Nooooo thank you," I said. "I don't think I'd go through that much hair spray in a lifetime, anyway."

"Hey!"

We both chuckled as we headed out the door. "Are you nervous?" I asked as I wrestled with the lock.

"A little. I mean, the last time I saw Mom and Dad was about two years ago, but I haven't seen Ryou since…god, when was it?"

"The wedding?" I asked half-jokingly.

"No," she said as we started to walk, "I think I saw her once after that… Anyway, I know it's been years."

"That's too bad," I said, unsure how else to respond. "In any case, I'm glad you two'll be able to see each other again."

"Me too," she breathed. "I can't wait."

We were quiet for the next few minutes as we headed to the bus stop. To get to her sister's place, we would need to ride a bus for about fifteen minutes; then it'd be another ten- to fifteen-minute walk to the house.

"I haven't ridden a bus in ages…" she sighed as the bus pulled away from the sidewalk.

"Do you miss it?"

She appeared to mull over my question for a bit. "Sort of. No, I do miss it. I liked being able to ride in a limo, but I didn't like what it cost me."

"I hear you."

We didn't say much for the rest of the bus ride; I mainly watched Kyou as she looked out the window, sighing occasionally.

The bus stopped, and we got off and started the last leg of our trip.

"Shio-chan apologized for tackling me the other night," Kyou said out-of-the-blue.

"She told me she would, but thanks for letting me know."

"Yeah…" She was quiet for a few more minutes, then: "I'm sorry for trying to seduce you. Everything I said was…was true, but I still shouldn't have done that."

"Don't worry about it," I told her. "I can't say that I understand your situation, but I can see that you've had it rough for the last few years."

"Tomoya?" She slowed, bringing us to a stop. "I was ready to…to force myself on you…more than that, I mean. Will you forgive me? I really need to be forgiven."

I blinked in surprise; was she really that desperate? "I…I forgive you. I didn't know your feelings were that strong."

"I mean, it probably would've been fine if I never told you…that," she said, ducking her head, "but the guilt would've eaten me up eventually."

"You were starved for affection," I said sympathetically, even if I did take a half-step away from her. "For what it's worth, I feel bad that I can't give you what you need."

She smiled softly as she moved closer to rest her hand on my cheek. "You're a good man, Tomoya, you know that?"

"I'm not-"

"Yeah, you are," she insisted. "You put up with my crap in high school, then lost Nagisa, nearly lost yourself, but…" She shook her head. "You managed to pull yourself together, and raise Ushio to be an amazing young lady."

"Pops and Sanae-"

"Pops and Sanae raised her for five years, I know. But you took over after that, and now look at her!" She blinked a tear away. "She's smart, cute, graceful, gentle…all the things I wasn't."

"Knock it off, Kyou," I scoffed softly. "I knew you were a kind girl; I just never understood why you were so harsh with me and Sunohara."

"Sunohara? It's because he was a jerk. You? Well," she said, starting to blush, "I think you know why now."

I felt my own face heat up at the recollection of her words from…the other night. "Y-Yeah…"

She stepped even closer and rose up on her tiptoes to gently kiss me on the cheek. "I may not be able to have you," she whispered, "but I hope I can find someone almost as good."

"Th-Thanks," I stuttered, feeling a little overwhelmed.

"Let's go, huh?" she prompted, stepping away from me to head down the road again.

"Sure," I said with a slight smile.

* * *

I barely had my hand up in greeting before Ryou charged across her lawn and nearly slammed into her twin sister. "Onee-chan! ONEE-CHAN!"

"R-Ryou!" Kyou staggered under the expected yet unexpected affection, even as tears started to flow. "It's s-so good to see you, too!"

I watched with a smile as Ryou held her sister out at arm's length. "Look at you!" she gushed. "Ten years, and it doesn't look like you've aged a day!"

"Oh, I've aged," Kyou said, running her fingers through the barely-gray hair at her temple, "but…it's not as bad as it was when I first got out."

"Y-Yeah…" Ryou gazed at her sister briefly before bursting into tears and pulling her close into an embrace, Kyou joining her shortly after.

"Hey, Okazaki!" I smiled at the familiar voice, and shifted my attention to Kappei, who was heading toward me with a huge smile and his hand extended. "Man, it's been a long time!"

"It sure has," I replied, looking puzzled at the proffered hand before I remembered that he'd been out of the country several times. "It's good to see you again, too," I said, awkwardly shaking his hand.

He sighed as he stepped up next to me to study the women's interaction. "She's been waiting for this for years," he said, the emotion clear in his voice.

"I'll bet." I waited for an awkward moment, unsure of what to say. "So…how's the world of business these days?"

"Good. I miss my running days, but it's nice being able to coach the next generation of runners," he said with no small amount of pride. "And the endorsements? I never thought my name would be worth so much; it's actually kind of humbling," he admitted.

"Is that manly?" I asked with an impish grin.

"Ha!" He punched me gently in the arm. "Of course it is! It's not manly to be prideful and arrogant."

"I know, I know; I'm just pulling your leg."

He started to cackle again, only to be interrupted by an armful of Kyou. "Kappei! It's good to see you, too!" she squealed as she glomped onto her brother-in-law.

"Hey, Kyou! Nice of you to stop by!" he exclaimed as he returned her embrace. "Seriously; congratulations on your freedom."

"Th-Thanks," she said, stepped back again to dab at her eyes. "And…thanks for letting me stay with you two."

"Hey, you're family! Besides, if it makes Ryou happy, then it makes me happy!" he declared. "Where's your stuff? We can take you to your room."

Kyou held up a single, small bag as her sister joined us. "This is it."

"Seriously?" Kappei asked with a look of disbelief. "Did he take everything else from you?"

She shook her head. "Naw, I left most of my stuff with Mom and Dad when I first moved out; I planned on coming back for the rest of it after getting settled in with my…with Sato."

"Kyou…" Ryou breathed sadly.

"Well, let's get you inside," Kappei said, stretching out his arm to indicate the house. "Okazaki, would you care to join us for tea?"

"I'd like to, but I really need to get back home," I replied, tapping my watch. "Ushio should be home soon, and she doesn't have a key. Besides, I wouldn't want to cut into your family time."

"Thank you for being so thoughtful," Ryou said as she and her sister turned to head back to their home. "Feel free to visit anytime."

"…on the weekends," I added with a grin.

"R-Right…"

"Good to see you again, Okazaki!" Kappei exclaimed as he pumped my hand again. "Don't be a stranger, okay?"

"Sure thing," I replied, smiling as I returned the gesture. "Take it easy."

* * *

I rotated my neck as I entered my apartment. The last couple of weeks had been exciting, with Ushio turning sixteen, Kyou's surprise visit along with all the drama that caused, getting her to her sister's… At least things could get back to normal…or, at least, what passed for normal for the Okazaki household.

I headed over to the stove and fired up one of the front burners to prepare some tea. Ushio was due home in the next few minutes, and I wanted something warm for her to drink. The weather may have warmed over the past two weeks, but not by much. At least the snow wasn't as bad as it had been.

I smiled as I heard the door open and my daughter's voice call out, "I'm home!"

"Welcome home, sweetie," I called from the kitchen. "I'm heating water for tea; do you want any?"

"Yes please!" she chirped as I heard her shoes drop on the floor near the front door. A few moments later she hurried into sight with her bag, plopping down at her spot at the kotatsu. "How did things go? Did you get Kyou-sensei to her sister's okay?"

"Yeah, it went fine," I told her. "It was a pretty emotional reunion, but I'd have been surprised if it wasn't."

"Yeah… Hey, did you see her niece? Or nephew?"

"Nope," I grunted as I poured the hot water into our mugs. "I planned on being gone before then so they could have their family time."

"That was thoughtful," I heard her say warmly.

"Thanks." I carefully took the steaming mugs to the kotatsu and set hers before her. "Careful, it's…what am I saying, you're a big girl now."

"It's okay," she giggled. "I'm glad you still care."

"Well that's an odd thing to say," I remarked. "Of course I still care; you're still my daughter."

"Y-Yeah…sorry." She reached for her mug, then quickly jerked her hand back, sticking a finger in her mouth with an embarrassed look. "Fee? Iff a good fing you warned me."

I chuckled as I carefully lifted my mug to my mouth and took a sip.

Eventually Ushio was able to pick up her mug and start drinking. "Hey, do you know how Botan's doing?" she asked between sips.

"I…No, I didn't think to ask." I 'humphed'. "Good grief, she was here for two weeks, and I never thought to ask her about him. Of course, she wouldn't know since she's been gone so long, but still… Next time I talk to her, I'll ask."

"Okay," she said with a cute smile. "I miss being smaller and being able to slide down his back."

I couldn't help but chuckle. "That was quite a sight. Shoot, if he kept growing, maybe you still could."

"That would be nice," she giggled.

We both looked up to the sound of my phone ringing. I quickly put down my mug to retrieve it. "Huh, it's Ryou. I wonder if Kyou forgot something," I said, pressing the 'connect' button as I lifted the phone to my ear. "Hello? This is Okazaki."

" _Hey, Tomoya."_ I smiled as I recognized my old sparring partner's voice. _"Miss me yet?"_

"You wish," I quipped. "What's the matter? Did you leave something here?"

" _Only my panties,"_ she replied, and I could hear the playfulness in her tone as my face heated up. _"Could you run them over here?"_

"All right, Kyou; knock it off. What did you need?"

" _Just wanted to let you know that I'm settled in here. Mom and Dad will be here tomorrow, and they'll be bringing Botan!"_ she finished excitedly.

"Hey, that's great!" I said. "Funny you'd mention Botan; Ushio was just asking about him."

" _Yeah, I don't know if she could slide down him anymore; he's…pretty old."_

"Heh, Ushio mentioned that, too," I chuckled, though the thought was a little sobering. "Well, we're just glad that you'll be able to see him again."

" _Thanks."_

A long pause.

"Did you need anything else?'

An embarrassed chuckle. _"I miss you…both of you."_

"Already? It's only been a few hours, and you're with family now."

" _I know… I think it's because you were the first people I stayed with after I was kicked out, and we have a history, and…well…"_

I figured I knew what she was talking about. "Thanks, Kyou. I'll admit that things won't be the same around here without you."

" _Whaddya mean by that?"_ she huffed, but I could tell that she was messing with me. _"Do you mean better or worse?"_

I wasn't going to take that bait. "Let's just say I'm glad we could help out and leave it at that, okay?"

" _Very_ _diplomatic answer,"_ she chuckled. _"Maybe you're in the wrong business; maybe you should be a negotiator."_

"I'll keep that in mind," I chuckled as well, wondering how we'd gotten off-topic.

" _All right, I guess I'm done tormenting you,"_ she said, her voice still laced with good humor. _"Could I talk with Shio-chan for a minute?"_

"Just a sec," I said, then muted the phone as I looked up to my daughter's gentle smile. "You up to talking with Kyou-sensei?"

"Sure!" she chirped, reaching out with eager hands. I unmuted the phone and handed it to her. "Hello? Hi, sensei! Yeah…"

While she talked with her beloved teacher, I studied my daughter. As she drew a lock of hair over hear ear, I thought about how hard it would be to let her go, but I knew that I'd have to someday. I'd done my best to teach her all the right things to do…or, more importantly, to be.

"You must be very excited to see him again…" I figured she was talking about Botan, bringing a smile to my face. "I miss sliding down his back. Hey, do you think we could come visit tomorrow?"

"Ushio," I scolded gently; I didn't normally interrupt other people when they were on the phone, but… "They should have some time together as a family."

"Oh! Right," she giggled. "Sorry. Hey, sensei? Once you're settled in, I'd like to visit you and Botan. Would that be okay? Great! No, we don't have to plan it now; I don't want Daddy scolding me again," she said, giving me an impish grin. "Okay. Take care. Wait; let me see if he needs to talk to you again." She glanced at me, to which I replied with a slight shake of the head. "He says 'no'. Okay. Have a good day, sensei." She looked at the front of my phone, then pressed the button to end the call. "So, she's home."

"Yup," I agreed, "and it looks like she'll have quite the time ahead of her."


	6. Milestone

**Chapter Six: Milestone**

I watched with a proud smile as Ushio sang with her soon-to-be-former classmates. Like most Japanese middle schools, the graduation song was a tradition, reminding us to not forget our pasts as we worked to forge our futures. I had to blot my own eyes as several of the students become emotional during the song and presentations. Overall, it was a bittersweet experience.

"Congratulations!" the parents, myself included, cheered at the end of the ceremony, and the graduating students started to file out of the sea of chairs. Some of them gathered in small groups, talking or hugging or crying or all three. Some high-fived while others hung their heads.

One in particular approached her father with a big smile on her face. "I did it!" Ushio gushed with pride.

"You sure did!" I gushed with pride as well. "You worked hard, and I'm so proud of you!"

"Th-Thank you," she replied, ducking her head. "I-It means a lot to me to hear you say that."

"I'm…glad," I said; I'd never figured out how to respond to statements like that. "You looking forward to your grad party tomorrow?"

"Oh, yes!" she beamed, returning her gaze to mine. "And thank you for making it so I could invite so many friends!"

"Well, we may only have so much room in the apartment, but I'll do my best to make it work!" I promised, thumping my chest. Then my eyes were drawn to a group of girls heading our way and jerked my chin toward them. "Speaking of which; are those your friends there?"

She looked in the direction I had indicated, and waved excitedly. "Hey, everybody! Are you going to be able to come tomorrow?"

"Wouldn't miss it for anything," a tall, blue-haired girl replied happily. "So, it's still on?"

"Yup!" she chirped. "Eleven to five, right Dad?"

I smiled; so, I wasn't going to be 'Daddy' for this conversation, huh? "That's what we worked out, yes."

A girl with long, red hair, taller than my daughter but shorter than the blue-haired girl stepped up to me. "A-Are you Shio-chan's…dad?"

"I am," I confirmed as I smiled down at her.

"Wow…" she said, staring wide-eyed up at me. "You're still cute."

"E-Excuse me?" I sputtered. How young did I look, anyway?

"Kumiko-san!" Ushio cried. "What are you doing?"

The girl's eyes widened as her hands flew to her mouth. "Oh, no! Did I say that out loud?"

"I'm afraid so," I said sympathetically.

"Oh, no!"

"Don't worry; I won't tell anyone if you won't," I said, managing an awkward smile.

She blushed furiously but said nothing more.

"Would it help if we brought food? Or drinks?" another girl asked, this one short with long, purple hair that reminded me of Kyou's hairstyle.

"We have food and drink," Ushio replied before I could even open my mouth, "but if you have anything in particular you want to have, go ahead and bring it. Right, Daddy?" she asked, turning to me with a bright smile.

Caught off-guard, all I could do was chuckle and nod. "I would have preferred to answer that myself, but yes, you're right."

"Sorry, Daddy," she said with a giggle.

I found it hard to be irritated with that cute smile. "Just…don't do it again please."

"Okay."

"Well, are you ready to go?" I asked. "We have to prepare our home for a natural disaster."

"R-Ready," she blushed, then looked to her giggling friends. "See you tomorrow!"

"See ya, Shio-chan!" they called out as they headed in different directions.

"Do you need to make any stops on the way home?" I asked as we headed from the school.

Her expression turned thoughtful as she took my arm. "I…don't think so. Would it be okay for me to run out later if I remember something?"

"That should be fine," I told her. "I'd like us to focus on getting the place ready first, so if you think of something then write it down; we can make a trip after we're done."

"Okay."

We walked for a few minutes in silence.

"I'm really looking forward to starting high school soon," she said as we headed past one of the city's many parks.

"That's good. Are you excited about anything in particular?"

Her forehead wrinkled cutely as she thought. "It's hard to explain… It's like…I'll miss middle school, but I'm looking forward to going on to high school. Does that make sense?"

"I'm not sure," I admitted. "Are you saying that you're looking forward to the next step in your life?"

"That's it!" she exclaimed, beaming brightly as she gave my arm a squeeze. "You're so smart!"

"Th-Thank you," I said. "But it's not so much that I'm smart or anything; It's...more that I've lived life and have seen more than you." I smiled down at her. "I'm sure you'll outgrow me quickly enough; you're a lot smarter then I was at your age."

"That's not true!" she said. "You're very smart, To-I mean, Daddy!"

"I guess…" I said, not sure what else to say. Why was she arguing the point, anyway? "Ushio, just because I was stupid doesn't mean you're going to be."

"Do you think I'm worried about myself?" she said, tugging on my arm. "You're smart; you just don't get enough credit, from others or yourself!"

"Okay, okay, I'm smart," I said waving my free hand. "Can we go back to what we were talking about?"

She blinked a couple of times with a blank look. "I…forgot what we were talking about," she admitted with a blush.

"The next step in your life?"

"Oh, yeah!" she giggled. "Go to high school, work on my cooking, become a good wife to-"

I waited for her to finish her sentence, but she had started staring at the ground. "Ushio? You okay? Do you have someone you like?"

"Kind of," she said, unable to look me in the eye.

"Should I be worried?" I asked jokingly.

"NO!" she nearly yelled as she brought us both to a stop. "I haven't confessed, and he doesn't… well…"

"Okay, I think I get it," I said to spare her further embarrassment. "Just…I'm going to want to meet him before your first date, okay?" I rotated my other arm while giving her a knowing look. "I need to make sure he and I have an…understanding."

I was relieved when she giggled again. "O-Okay." She tugged on my arm, and I lowered my head to receive her kiss. "I love you."

I smiled as we headed home again, bringing my free hand up to wipe the corner of my mouth. I really needed to talk to her about her aim when it came to her kisses lately…

* * *

"Our home needs two things," I announced as we stood in our living room. "It needs a serious cleaning, and it needs decorations."

"Yes, sir!" my daughter chirped as she snapped a salute. "Awaiting your command!"

I chuckled at her antics; I knew it wouldn't be for a few years still, but I knew it was going to be hard seeing her move out on her own…or maybe into a home with a fortunate (and thoroughly vetted) young man. "I think we should start by dusting, then moving stuff from the living room to make space for people and decorations."

We got cloths and dusting spray and got to work. Ushio went to work on the side of the room nearer the balcony door, while I worked on the side nearer the kitchen and entrance. We had the radio on while we worked, giving us a chance to enjoy a variety of music as we dusted, then moved furniture.

"Do you mind if we put this in your room for tonight?" I asked as I rested my hand on one of our smaller end tables.

"I don't mind, but wouldn't it be better out here?" she asked. "If we have food on the table and we use it for games, we might not have enough room for everything."

I pushed my mouth to the side as I surveyed the room. "Yeah, I see what you mean. We could move the Dango Family, then."

"I…I don't think we need to move anything," she said hesitantly. "There aren't that many of us, and… Why don't we move some of the breakable stuff instead?"

I mulled this over. "We could do that," I conceded. "If it turns out to be too crowded, we'll deal with the furniture then."

"Okay!" she chirped.

Our conversation was interrupted by a knock at the door. "Coming," I announced as I headed toward the door.

On the other side was a pleasant surprise. "Hey, Tomoya."

"Oh, hey Kyou!" I greeted with a warm smile. "It's good to see-"

"KYOU-SENSEI!" Ushio charged around me and nearly slammed into Kyou with a hug. "I've missed you!"

"Oof, I've missed you, too," Kyou gasped, returning the hug. "How've things been? Your dad hasn't been-" She cut herself off with a wince. "Man, old habits die hard, don't they?"

"Don't worry about it," I said with a shrug, smile still in place. "Have you come to pick up your panties?"

"D-Daddy!"

"Seriously, Tomoya?" Kyou said with a shake of her head.

I gestured to her. "Well, you're the one who said you left them here."

"Ugh. Are you going to invite me in, or am I going to have to shove my way in?"

"Sure, come on in," I laughed as I stepped aside. "You're just in time to help us set up for Ushio's graduation party."

"Party?" Kyou's eyes suddenly got huge. "Can I come?"

"It's for Ushio and a few of her friends," I explained as we headed into the living room. "Well, Ushio? Do you want your old teacher to come?"

"Hey! Who're you calling 'old'?" Kyou huffed.

"Gee, I hadn't really thought about it…" Ushio admitted. "Not that I don't want you to come, Kyou-sensei! It's just…"

"I think I get it," Kyou said, smiling affectionately at my daughter. "Just you and the girls, right?"

"R-Right," she said while glancing up at me.

"Ushio, if you want her to come, I don't mind," I told her. "Just say the word."

"See, that's how a man's supposed to be," Kyou remarked. "The woman tells him what to do and he does it."

"Eep!" Ushio squeaked as she covered her face.

"Kyou…"

"Hee hee…" Kyou giggled with an impish look.

"I'd…I'd really like to keep it to my friends this time," Ushio said sheepishly. "But…maybe we could do something – just the three of us – another time?"

"We could do that," I said, then looked to my old sparring partner. "What do you think?"

"I like that," Kyou agreed. "In fact, I could make pork cutlets again, and see if they work this time."

"Kyou…" I warned as Ushio blushed fiercely.

She burst out laughing. "Jeez, I'm just kidding! You're so gullible!"

I shook my head with a sigh. "Anyway, we're done cleaning and organizing; we just need to get the decorations up."

"Great!" she chirped. "What are we setting up?"

"Ribbons, streamers, some balloons," Ushio listed. "We're mainly having food and watching one or two movies. Maybe some games." She giggled softly. "My friends probably won't notice the decorations, to be honest; they're mainly for me."

"And you're more than worth it," I added with a smile, setting off another round of blushing from my daughter.

"Hmmm…"

I looked over at Kyou, who appeared to be studying my daughter. "Something wrong, Kyou?"

"Huh?" She blinked as though snapping out of a train of thought. "No, nothing's wrong. Shall we get to work?"

We started to put up the streamers, but something about Kyou's behavior bugged me. I wasn't sure what it was…I didn't think it was her, specifically, just… I looked over at her as she tagged a streamer to a corner of the room, and I noticed that Ushio was right between us. After I finished setting up my decoration I moved to another part of the room and started putting up a different streamer. After about a minute I looked over at Kyou and Ushio was there, right between us again. "Huh…"

"Something wrong, Daddy?" I blinked out of my reverie to find my daughter looking at me with a worried expression. "Did your streamer break?"

"N-No," I replied with a shake of the head. "Just thinking."

"Well, don't hurt yourself," I heard Kyou quip, and Ushio bristled at almost the same time, and it hit me: Ushio must have not entirely forgiven Kyou for trying to seduce me that one night, and she was feeling protective. What a sweet girl.

"I'll do my best," I said in response to Kyou's taunt. "And be careful on that stepstool; if you fall, make sure to land on the softest part of your body."

"Yes, Tomoya, I shouldn't have any problem landing on my butt," she retorted in mock irritation.

"Your butt?" I said with feigned surprise. "I was thinking of something else." I winked at my daughter as I tapped my head, causing her to blush.

Kyou went Full Irritation, fists on the hips and everything. "Seriously, Tomoya? You're going to talk like that about a guest?"

"Naw, but I'll talk like that about the help…" I replied with a lopsided smile, "…and a good friend."

"You-" She cut herself off before blushing lightly. "Dammit Tomoya, I don't know whether to be mad at you or hug you."

"H-how about we finish p-putting up the decorations?" Ushio interjected with an uncertain look.

"Aw, Shio-chan, we're not really mad at each other; this is how we used to play back in high school," Kyou said with a gentle smile, her blush fading.

"Sorry if we upset you, sweetie," I said as I reached out to stroke her hair, causing her eyes to close. "We'll behave from now on…right, Kyou?"

"Absolutely," my old sparring partner said while studying Ushio again.

"Well, let's get back to work," I said, removing my hand from my daughter's head to take up my streamer again.

"R-Right," Ushio replied, swaying slightly as she fixed her hair.

"You okay?" I asked.

"I-I'm fine!" she exclaimed as she forced herself still. "L-Let's get back to work!"

I chuckled softly before heading to the other side of the room again. We worked quietly for several minutes before I realized that I hadn't asked Kyou about her family. "Hey, Kyou; how're your sister and her husband doing?"

"They're fine."

"Everyone getting used to everyone?"

"Yeah… Oh! I never told you! The kids were so excited to see me!"

I glanced over at Kyou with a smile before returning my attention to my work. "I'll bet. Did they recognize you at first?"

"It…took her a minute," Kyou admitted, "but I think he was too young to remember. I guess I have the advantage of being a twin, so it didn't take her as long as it might have otherwise."

"That's good."

"Yeah…Wow, she's so tall now. I mean, she's not as tall as I am, but compared to the little girl I remember…"

"And your nephew…"

"Yeah…"

"I'm just glad you can see them again."

"Thanks, me too."

"What grade will she be going into, sensei?" Ushio asked.

"That's right; you'll both be going to Hikarizaka next year, won't you?" I mused.

"Huh?"

"Mika'll be a third-year this year," Kyou said. "Hey Shio-chan; if the two of you become friends, then you might not have to worry about bullies."

Ushio dropped her decoration. "B-Bullies?"

"Ushio's cute, so I don't think anyone will bother her," I said.

"D-Daddy!" my daughter squeaked, covering her face.

"Well, you are!" I insisted. "Your mom was really cute, so it makes sense. Anyway, I don't think you'll have to worry about your schoolmates."

"Except for the boys," Kyou taunted.

I fumbled my decoration. "Yeah, but I've got plans for any boys who hit on my daughter," I announced, flexing my arm before bending down to retrieve my ribbons.

"D-Daddy…" Ushio giggled. "Don't worry, sensei; he's been working on his baseball swing, training with Grandpa Furukawa."

"Y-Yeah…" Kyou said, studying my daughter yet again.

"I'm not sure your niece would have time for friends, though, since she'll be prepping for university," I pointed out. "Remember?"

"Yeah, I remember," Kyou huffed as she tacked her last ribbon. "Sorry, Shio-chan."

"I'll be fine," Ushio reassured her. "I'll try not to step on any toes, and D-Daddy will protect me from any boys."

"See?" I said with a confident smile.

"All right, Homerun," Kyou sniffed, "I'll back off…for now."

By the time we got the rest of the decorations up it was dinnertime. "Do you want to stay for dinner, Kyou?" I offered. "It's time anyway, and you really helped us out."

"No, thanks," she replied, waving a hand. "Ryou and Kappei are expecting me, and we have a later dinner than you do. Could I take a rain check?"

"Sure," I said.

"Go ahead and see her to the door," Ushio said. "I'll take care of cleaning up."

My eyebrows jumped at her tone, but said nothing. After all, she wasn't sounding bossy. "Um, sure."

Apparently I wasn't the only one who thought it odd, as Kyou kept looking over her shoulder as I followed her to the door. "Hey, Tomoya; come outside for minute."

"Be right back," I told Ushio before closing the door behind me. "What's up, Kyou?"

She briefly looked past me at my front door. "Look, I know I've been out of the loop for almost a decade, but Ushio's not…I dunno, not acting like a teenager."

I blinked; I'd never known Kyou to refer to my daughter by her proper name, so… "What do you mean?"

"I said 'I don't know'," she insisted. "It's almost like she's…older than her age." She shrugged. "I'm sorry, that's the best I can do right now."

"Do you think she might be dating already?" I asked with a gnawing feeling in my gut. "Could that explain it?"

"It could, but I…don't think so," Kyou replied, then smiled in resignation. "I can't prove anything, of course; I just know she's not acting her age."

I nodded thoughtfully. "Okay. Thanks, Kyou; I'll keep an eye on her."

Kyou smiled before clapping a hand on my shoulder. "Well, good luck; you have a high-schooler, now. A…very protective high-schooler."

"Yeah…" I said, glancing back at the front door. "Well, what can I say? She loves her daddy."

"She…sure does," Kyou said with an unreadable expression. "Well, good night."

"Good night."

I waved, then watched as my old friend faded into the distance before turning and going back into my home.


	7. Grad Party

**Chapter Seven: Grad Party**

"Yes, I'm coming," I said, heading from the kitchen to the knocking at the door. I opened it to find what appeared to be one of Ushio's friends on the other side. "Good morning; are you here for Ushio's grad party?"

"Yup!" the short, green-haired girl chirped as she flashed a 'victory' sign. "I'm Hoshiko. May I come in?"

"Hoshiko!" Ushio squealed as she charged the door. "Come in, come in!" She grabbed her friend by the hand and nearly dragged her into our home. "I'm so glad you could make it! Do you know if the others are on their way?"

"N-No," her friend stammered as Ushio placed her by the kotatsu, "but I'm sure they'll be here."

I shook my head with a smile as I closed the door, then looked up at the kitchen clock: 10:43 AM. "A little over fifteen minutes," I said to myself as I headed back to the kitchen to work on food preparation. I'd barely picked up the knife before a knock sounded at the door again.

"H-Hi." It was the girl with the long red hair, trembling in our entryway. "M-M-May I come in?"

"Sure," I said, smiling as I stepped aside so my daughter could squeal over her as well.

The rest of the girls trickled in over the next ten minutes, the last one being the tall, blue-haired girl. "Hey, thanks for letting us do this," she said to me as she entered.

"You only graduate from middle school once," I replied, "so I wanted to make it special."

"Did your parents throw you a party when you graduated?" she asked. My expression must have darkened, because her eyes widened. "I-I'm sorry! Was that a bad question?"

"Sorry," I said, rubbing a hand over my face. "I'm…just glad to be able to do this for Ushio."

"Y-Yeah…" she said, seeming uncertain.

"You're fine; your question just surprised me."

Fortunately, Ushio saved me from any further conversation by squealing and dragging her friend into our living room as well. "Oh my gosh! I'm so glad all of you could make it!"

"Wouldn't miss it for anything," I heard the blue-haired girl say as I headed back to the kitchen, and I smiled to myself as I remembered that she had said the same thing yesterday.

I moved the mini sausages from the cooker to a serving bowl and stuck a small serving fork into it. I then realized that I hadn't put out plates for the girls yet, so I turned to the cupboard only to find the red-haired girl in my way. "C-Can I h-help?"

I smiled kindly at her. "Well, if you'll excuse me I'll get the plates and you can-"

"Kumiko! What are you doing?" Ushio suddenly materialized in my path, between me and her friend. "Y-You're a guest! Go back and sit down!" she said, shooing her friend back to the table before turning to me. "I'm sorry, I must have lost track of her."

"'Lost track'?" I repeated with a chuckle. "Ushio, they're your friends, not kindergartners."

"B-But-"

"I'll admit I was surprised to find her there. But she wasn't causing any problems; in fact, her help would have been welcome."

"Then I'll help," Ushio declared. "What do you need done?"

I blinked at her tone; she wasn't exactly defying me…maybe this was what Kyou had noticed last night? "Ushio, please go back to your friends." I turned my attention toward the table. "Kumiko-san? Is that your name?"

The red-haired girl gasped before jumping to her feet. "Y-Yes, Okazaki-sama?"

'Okazaki-sama'? I'd never been called that before. "Would you be willing to help me by bringing the plates in?"

"D-Dad?!" Ushio protested.

"S-Sure!" Kumiko squeaked as she hurried over to me. As she approached, I saw her give my daughter an apologetic look, and then saw Ushio give me what appeared to be a look of betrayal as she headed back to the table.

I retrieved the plates from the cupboard and placed them into Kumiko's trembling hands. "Are you going to be okay?" I asked her. "They're not very big or heavy, but…"

"I-I'll be fine," she said as she took the plates; to my surprise, her hands settled down the minute she had the plates within her grasp. "S-See?"

"Yes, I see," I replied with a smile. I waited several seconds, but Kumiko just stood there, staring at me. "Are you going to take the plates over?"

She blinked, then looked down at the plates in her hands as though she didn't know how they had gotten there. "Y-Yes, sir!" she quickly spun, somehow keeping her grip on the plates as she nearly slapped me with her hair, and headed to the table.

I snorted softly to myself with a smile as I turned back to the counter to finish up with food prep.

* * *

"So you have the food, you have the games, and you have the movies, right?" I asked as I stood at the entrance to the hallway.

"Y-Yes, Dad," Ushio said.

"All right, then; I'll be in my room if you need me."

I started to turn to head down the hall when a voice called out, "Can I see your room?"

Good grief. I looked back to see a hand sticking up from somewhere in the mass of girls. "Have fun, everyone," I said with a sigh before heading to my room. I went inside, grabbed a book, and reclined against a pillow I had leaned against the wall. I figured that since they were girls they wouldn't cause more trouble than one adult could handle. I heard a movie start and figured I could relax completely.

I had only been reading for a few minutes when I was startled by the sound of my door sliding open. On the other side was one of Ushio's friends, with a shocked expression. "I'm sorry!" she squeaked. "I thought this was the bathroom!"

"Next door that way," I told her, pointing back in the direction of the living room.

"Thanks." Rather than shut my door again, she looked around my room. "Wow…for such a big room, you don't have much, do you?"

"It has everything I need," I answered diplomatically, irked a little by her nosiness. "Besides, all I really need is my daughter and-"

"Shizu!" I heard Ushio cry. "That's my dad's room!" I tried to suppress a smile as I saw her arm reach out and grab her friend by the wrist. "The bathroom is here!"

Unfortunately, that left my bedroom door open, so I grumbled as I got to my feet and headed over to close it.

Before I got to the door, however, Ushio popped out from the hallway. "I'm so sorry, Dad!" she cried. "Shizu needed to use the bathroom and-"

"I'm fine," I interrupted, laying my hands on her shoulders to try to calm her. "I was just surprised, that's all."

"O-Okay," she said, laying her hands over mine. "I'll do better next time; I promise."

"Don't worry about it," I told her. "Accidents happen…okay?"

She studied my face for a moment. "Okay." She removed her hands from the top of mine to take me by my shoulders and gently pull me toward her; when I bent down, she gave me a kiss on the cheek…well, partly. "Thank you, Daddy; I love you."

I blinked; what brought that on? "Thanks, sweetie; I love you, too. Have fun with your friends."

"I-I will."

I smiled, returning her small wave as she headed back down the hallway toward the living room. Disaster averted, I headed back to my corner, picked up my book and, as I started reading again, wiped my mouth with the back of my hand. Her aim had gotten even worse, as she had gotten more of my mouth with her kiss than usual.

The movie eventually ended, and I smiled to myself as I could hear the girls chatting happily among themselves. I figured with the way they were giggling that they were talking about boys. My eyes lost focus and my book lowered as I thought back to when I was in high school, with the twins and Sunohara. "And Furukawa…" I mused, smiling nostalgically as I remembered my lost wife by her maiden name. "Those were good times…"

Nagisa was the one who had pulled me out of my own self-inflicted misery. She gave me a reason to be happy in life, with her awkward determination, and her eventual devotion to creating a home with me.

And then, of course, she was taken from me, like all the good things in my life had been. I'd been grateful for the joy Ushio brought to my life since taking custody of her, but I'd also found myself waiting for the other shoe to drop, losing her to…well, anything. So far, it appeared that she'd been spared her mother's condition, but…

My door slid open again, and Kumiko stumbled into my room before the door slammed shut again. "What the-?" I exclaimed as I shot to my feet.

"I'm sorry, Okazaki-sama!" she wailed as she backed against the door, and I could hear giggling just outside along with Ushio's protesting voice. "I-I-I chose dare!"

"Huh? Dare?"

She nodded with terror in her eyes. "I-I didn't want to choose 'truth' b-b-because I knew what they'd a-ask."

"Waitaminute…are you playing 'Truth or Dare', then?"

She nodded again. "And I thought I'd be safe choosing 'Dare'. I didn't know they'd dare me to do this, I swear!"

"Okay, calm down, sweetheart," I said in as gentle a tone as I could. "What did they dare you to do? Stay in my room for a certain amount of time?"

She shook her head, sending tears flying.

"Then what? I'll help if I can."

Her face turned completely scarlet, and I saw tears streaming from her eyes just before she covered her face. "To k…k…k…k-k-k…"

"You've got the first sound out; good job," I said softly, trying to be encouraging. Since it was Kumiko, I had a feeling I knew what the dare was, but I wanted to tread very carefully; the last thing I needed was a call from an angry parent. Or the police. "Keep going."

"…K…K...Kiss you!" she finally blurted. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

I tried to contain a grin. "That's it?"

"Huh?" she said, partly uncovering her face.

"Nothing else? They didn't say where or anything like that?"

"N-No… They just dared me to k-kiss y-you."

"That was pretty mean of them," I said. "But, there's an easy solution."

"What's that?" she asked in a still-trembling voice.

I smiled and bent down to offer her my cheek. "Put one there, and you've satisfied their dare."

Out of the corner of my eye I saw her blink several times. "Y-Yeah, you're right…"

"Think you could handle that?" I asked.

"I-I think so, O-Okazaki-sama."

"Then go for it," I told her. "I'll vouch for you. And I might even have a talk with the parents of whoever dared you."

She giggled through her tears, and then I saw her draw her lips into her mouth several times before slowly approaching me. I made sure to keep a friendly look on my face to keep her from becoming uncomfortable.

She moved, and I felt a warm pressure on my cheek. I waited, but she kept her lips pressed against me. "You, uh, planning on finishing any time soon?"

She quickly pulled away with a gasp. "I'm…I'm sorry!"

"Don't worry about it," I said with an easy smile. "That must have taken a lot of courage to do."

She said nothing, but nodded slowly.

I chuckled as I reached for the door. "Let's get you back to-" I twitched as she suddenly blocked the handle with her hand. "Kumiko-san?"

"Okazaki-sama…?" she said in a trembling voice, wringing her hands as I took my hand away from the door. "Okazaki-sama…?"

"Yeah?"

She folded her hands as she turned fearful eyes up to mine. "I…I really like you. W-Would you p-please go out with me?"

"Wh-What?"

"I-I really like you," she repeated, with more courage this time. "Would you please go out with me?"

"Would I…hm." I scratched my head as I studied her intense expression. I was surprised but not too surprised in light of her behavior at the graduation ceremony. "I'm…honored, really, but…do you even know how old I am?"

"Well…" her expression faded to one of thoughtfulness. "You have to be at least sixteen to get married-"

"Eighteen," I corrected. "It's still eighteen for boys."

Her eyes widened, as I'd hoped. "Th-Then you'd have to be at least thirty-four!"

"I'm thirty-six," I told her. "And how old are you?"

"Fifteen," she said, appearing to deflate. "I'll be sixteen next month."

"Well, happy birthday, Kumiko-san," I said warmly. "I hope it's a good one."

"Thanks," she said quietly. "But I'm too young."

"I'm afraid so," I said consolingly. "If I'm old enough to be Ushio's dad, then I'm definitely old enough to be yours. I'm sorry."

"I-It's okay," she said, starting to tear up again. "It's just…I've liked you for a long time, so it's hard, you know?"

"If you don't mind me asking; how long?"

"A-Almost as l-long as Ushio and I h-have b-been friends," she sputtered, somehow giggling through her tears.

"How long have you been friends?" I asked in the most sympathetic tone I could manage.

"S-Since the start of middle school."

I tried to keep my surprise off my face; what a precocious girl. "Three years, huh? That's a long time."

"Y-Yeah."

Something struck me as odd, though. "How come you acted like you didn't recognize me yesterday, then?"

"I…hadn't seen you in a long time, so I wanted to be sure."

"I see. Well, I'm sorry I can't be your special someone," I said, carefully laying a hand on her shoulder. "I wish you the best in finding someone…closer to your age, that is."

"Th-Thank you," she sputtered again. "M-May I cry for a minute?"

I smiled as I spread my arms, and she threw herself into me, crying her relief into the front of my shirt.

* * *

"Thanks for coming, everyone!" Ushio gushed as she saw her friends off at the door. "I had so much fun!"

"Thanks for inviting us!" one of them called as they moved off as a group. "See you at orientation!"

Kumiko, however, hung around, looking slightly uncomfortable. "Sh-Shio-chan? Could I talk with your dad for a minute?"

My daughter flashed me a suspicious look, but I gave what I hoped was a disarming smile as I indicated the kotatsu with my eyes. As she headed away I turned my attention to the very young redhead. "What did you need, Kumiko-san?"

She fidgeted as she alternated between looking at me and the floor. "I…just want to thank you for helping me with my dare."

"You're welcome. I'm sorry you had to go through all that," I said sympathetically. "Are you going to be all right?"

She nodded, a smile fading into view. "I feel better now that I've confessed, and… I can see that I have a lot of growing up to do to be worthy of someone like you. Thank you for being so amazingly kind in your rejection."

"I did my best," I said. "I really do hope you find someone who can make you smile. I'd like to suggest you wait until you decide what you want to do with your life, though; I've heard it can be hard juggling work and dating."

"I'll…keep that in mind, thank you." She studied my face for a moment. "I'm really sorry for putting you on the spot like that; you're a really awesome guy, and I hope you can find someone to make you smile again."

"I smile plenty," I said with a chuckle. "Ushio already brings a lot of happiness to my life."

"But she won't be around forever," Kumiko countered, then ducked her head. "Sorry."

"No, you're right." I exhaled noisily between my lips. "I guess…I'll cross that bridge when I get to it." I reached out and patted her on the head, unintentionally causing her to blush. "Thanks for thinking of me."

"It'll be hard not to after this," she admitted, ducking her head yet again. "A-Anyway, thank you for being such a good man."

"Thank you," I replied. "I'll do my best."

She studied me for another moment, shifting her weight from foot to foot.

"You should probably get on your way," I said softly. "Your parents are probably waiting for you."

"Y-You're right." She turned to head away, only to quickly turn back and grab my arm, pulling me until my head was low enough for her to put another kiss on my cheek. "That was the last one, I promise," she said with a giggle, then turned once more to run down the sidewalk, presumably toward home.

I straightened with a smile as I shook my head, turning to head back into the apartment.

The air felt oppressive, almost hostile, as I entered the living room, and I saw Ushio sitting at the kotatsu with an irritated expression, her eyes downturned. "Ushio? You okay?"

"Fine," she said, but I knew her well enough to know that she was upset about something. "Thanks for the party."

"You're welcome," I said as I sat across from her. "What's bothering you?"

She looked over at me, and she looked furious. "The next time I see Kumiko-san, I'm telling her she's not my friend anymore."

"What?" I couldn't believe my ears. "How come? Haven't you been friends for years?"

"She tried to take you away from me!" she snarled, causing me to lean back slightly as my eyes widened.

"Take me from you? How?"

"I know what happened!" she snapped. "The little bitch even told me what she'd done!"

I chose to ignore the language for the time being, though it did shock me to hear my daughter talking the way she was. "What did she do, Ushio?"

"You know, too! She confessed to you!"

"Yes, and I turned her down. Politely."

She glared at me, huffing, before getting to her feet and stomping over to my side of the table to plop down next to me. "Which cheek did she kiss?" she demanded.

"Huh?"

"Which. Cheek. Did. She. Kiss?"

"What does that have to do with…oh, whatever." I pointed to my left cheek. "This one. Why?"

I had absolutely no warning before my own daughter pounced on me, pushing me onto my side. Before I could react, she started peppering my left cheek with kisses.

"Ushio! What's gotten into you?" I demanded; the kisses felt more like violations than expressions of affection.

The onslaught finally slowed, and I could feel drops of moisture fall onto my face, and I realized that it couldn't have been from her lips. "Ushio?"

"I'm…sorry…" she whimpered in a tiny voice. "I'm…so…sorry…" When I looked, she had regret written all over her face, with tears streaming almost non-stop from her eyes. "Please…"

I did the only thing I could think of; I sat up, grabbed her up in my arms and simply held her while I tried to figure out what was going on. "Ushio…? Are you jealous?"

I felt her nod against my chest. "I-I'm sorry, To…Daddy," she shuddered. "I'm so sorry…"

"I forgive you," I said tenderly, rocking her as I wondered what the hell was happening to my daughter.


	8. Old School, New School

**Chapter Eight: Old School, New School**

I grimaced at my reflection as I tried to tie my necktie the right way. I hadn't worn the thing in years, but I wanted to surprise Ushio, and I'd already made the arrangements with the school, so it was just me and my necktie opponent.

"There!" I exclaimed as the stupid thing finally centered on my chest, with the upper layer a little longer than the lower, and the knot in a nice upside-down triangle. "Finally!" I then took a step back to take a good look at myself. "I never thought I'd be wearing this again."

I actually looked pretty good in my old high-school uniform; even though I wasn't as thin as I had been back when I first wore it so many, many years ago, it still fit me pretty well. It helped that I kept myself in reasonable shape even when I was a mess for those five years after Nagisa's death. Even with as 'filled-out' as I was, my old uniform still felt familiar.

I found a small blemish on my cheek and, as I leaned forward to poke at it, I thought about the previous couple of weeks. Ushio had cooled down considerably after her outburst following her grad party. While I never did find out exactly why she was so angry, I was glad to have the old Ushio back, though her aim was still a little off when it came to her kisses.

But today, I was planning a surprise; I planned to visit her at school during her lunch break, using one of my vacation days. I'd already spent the morning tidying up the apartment to kill time before I needed to get ready, then spent a half an hour working on getting into my old uniform, fifteen minutes of which had been spent on the tie alone.

I gave up on the blemish, remembering that high-schoolers generally had it worse in that regard, and settled for tugging on my blazer a couple of times. I knew that my uniform wasn't regulation any more, but it didn't have to be for my little 'prank' on my daughter. I figured she'd be thrilled to see me at her school just because I was still 'Daddy!'.

Finally satisfied, I grabbed my lunch pail and headed out.

As I walked to my old school, I thought back with a smile to a time when I had to walk to school, hating every minute of it. I thought back to going to Sunohara's dorm after school and killing time by annoying him until the early hours of the morning before trudging back home to sleep until almost noon, then getting dressed and heading to school. Lather, rinse, repeat.

My pace slowed as I approached the bottom of the hill, and I let my gaze wander to take in the sight of the sakura that lined the path to the school gate, and my mind traveled back in time, and I could almost see Furukawa standing at the bottom of the hill, trying to encourage herself to make the trek up to the school. "You just have to find a reason," I said softly to myself; while the pain wasn't as great as it had been sixteen years ago, it still lingered. I still missed her.

I paused a good distance from the gate to compose myself before setting foot on school grounds. As expected, the courtyard was busy. I could immediately pick out some changes that had been made to the school through the years, but I was surprised to find that it was mainly the same as I remembered it.

A couple of the staff gave me knowing smiles, which I returned with a wave as I headed for the main part of the courtyard, where I'd been told that Ushio typically ate her lunches.

"You there!"

I froze mid-step, getting the feeling that the words had been directed toward me. I turned and, sure enough, a girl with long, purple hair in twintails and wearing the light brown coat and blue skirt of Hikarizaka's school uniform was pointing at me. I thought I recognized the emblem of the school's Student Council on her coat as well. Even though I'd never seen her before, something about her seemed familiar.

"Are you just getting to school? You're late!" she announced, still pointing at me. "And your uniform is out of order! And where is your schoolbag?" Her eyes narrowed. "You're not a delinquent, are you?"

'Delinquent', huh? I hadn't been called that in years. I felt a smile start to creep across my face but, deciding to play along, forced it into a scowl. "What if I am? What's it to you?"

I was surprised – impressed, really – when she marched right up to me and got in my face. "Then I will be taking you to the principal's office, where you will get what's coming to you!"

"You will, huh?" I smirked, then made a show of looking around. "And how're you gonna do that?"

She sputtered briefly and I had to suppress another smile.

"Jeez, what is it with these student councils?" I scoffed. "They vote in a bunch of girls who fall apart when someone shows a spine."

"You-!" I started to feel bad as she seriously seemed to be losing her composure. "Just…who do you think you are, wandering into school whenever you feel like it?"

I finally allowed a genuine smile. "I think I'm an alumnus."

"Huh?"

I pointed to my graduation pin. "I graduated back in '04. I'm just wearing my old uniform to surprise my daughter."

"Your-" She blinked several times, and I could almost see the gears turning in the poor girl's head. Finally, she paled before taking a step back to bow so quickly that she nearly slapped me with her hair. "I'm so sorry, sir! I can see now that you're not a current student!"

"Don't worry about it," I said in a mildly amused tone. "Sweetheart, get up; I'm sorry for messing with you like that."

She straightened but was unable to look me in the eye. "It's okay, sir; I deserved it."

"No you didn't, but…could I say something?"

"Of course, sir."

"It's good that you want everyone to honor the rules, but try to remember that the rules are there for us, not the other way around. They're there to help us help each other rather than control each other."

She appeared to consider it for a moment. "But…But rules help keep order."

"That's true, but when taken too far…" I sighed. "Look, just remember that everyone's having to deal with their own…circumstances and try to cut them some slack, okay?"

She nodded thoughtfully. "I…never thought of that," she admitted. "I'll keep that in mind, sir. Thank you."

"I'm glad if I helped," I said with what I hoped was a disarming smile; I felt that talking to members of the younger generation was never my strong suit, especially after the events of Ushio's grad party. "Is it going to be a problem if I visit my daughter like this?"

"N-Not at all!" she exclaimed, nearly slapping me with her twintails as she shook her head. "In fact, I would be honored to take you to her! What's her name?"

"Okazaki Ushio."

She blinked several times again. "Wait…you're Okazaki-san's…dad?"

"Yeah," I said, puzzled; didn't they teach context in school anymore? "If she's my daughter, then I'd be her dad, right?"

"O-Of course!" For some reason, the girl had started to stare at me. She then caught herself. "I-I'm sorry! So… you're Okazaki Tomoya-san, then?"

I simply inclined my head.

"Oh, wow!" she gushed. "Mom used to talk about you a lot!"

I was starting to feel uncomfortable. "Y-Your mom? Who…Who's your mom?"

"Hiiragi Ryou, sir," she replied, still studying me.

It couldn't be… "Wait a minute… Was her maiden name 'Fujibayashi' by any chance?"

Her eyes widened as her mouth fell open. "Yeah, it was! You really knew her in school?"

"If we're talking about the same person, then yeah, I did." I gestured to her. "So you must be Mika-san? Ryou's and Kappei's daughter?"

"You know my parents?"

"And your aunt Kyou. We went here at the same time," I said, indicating the school.

"That's…really neat," she replied, a smile spreading across her face as she appeared to study me.

"Wow…" I breathed, looking her up and down before holding my hand out at waist height. "The last time I saw you, you were about this high."

"Y-Yes, sir," she replied, pressing her fists under her chin as she started to blush.

I couldn't help but smile at the family resemblance. "And you've sure gotten pretty, too. I remember you used to be a cutie, but…" I gestured to her again. "Man, how time flies."

The blush deepened, and she started to twirl one of her tails as she glanced up at me repeatedly. "You…You really think I'm pretty?"

"Well, yeah," I replied, starting to become concerned by her behavior. Maybe she wasn't complimented very often? "I'm sorry; did I upset you?"

"No! Not at all!" she exclaimed as she started to repeatedly pull on her twintails. "Y-You're here to visit your daughter, right?! So…let's…let's go find Okazaki-san! I mean, your daughter!" And with that, she quickly turned on her heel and headed toward the back of the school.

I watched her departing form in mild confusion as I tried to figure out what had just happened, then shook my head with a sigh as I set out to follow her. "So…you know Ushio?" I asked as I fell into step with my impromptu tour guide.

"S-Sort of," she said, seeming to have calmed as we passed under a walkway connecting the two buildings; a more recent addition, from the looks of it. "Mom asked me to keep an eye out for her and help her out if I could," she explained. "She told me her name and what she looks like."

"Well, thank you," I said, smiling over at her. "For what's it's worth, I appreciate it."

"You're welcome," she replied with a smile; more confident, I noticed. "Oh, there she is!" Rather than walk me the rest of the way she stopped, turning to face me and bow as I stopped as well. "Have a good time with your daughter, sir. It was a pleasure meeting you… Or maybe: Good to see you again, even if I don't remember," she finished with a giggle.

"Yeah, good to see you, too," I replied. "Thanks for your help, and say 'hi' to your parents for me, okay? Oh, and your aunt, too."

"Will do!" she chirped, finger-waving as she headed off. "See you later!"

I watched her head off toward a group of girls before shaking my head with a smile. "Man, how quickly they grow up," I said to myself as I started over to where my daughter sat with a different group of girls who I assumed were her friends. I was relieved to see that Kumiko was among them; so Ushio hadn't broken off their friendship after all.

I heard a squeal and shifted my gaze just in time to see Ushio dashing toward me, and I dropped my lunch and opened my arms in time to receive an armful of giggling daughter. "I can't believe it!" she squealed. "You're here!"

"Yup, I'm here," I replied, a chuckle threatening to break through my smile.

She broke our embrace to look me over. "Ohmygosh, is that your old school uniform? You look so handsome!"

"Thank you," I said, tugging on the blazer. "I wasn't sure it would fit, but I thought you might like it if I came and had lunch with you." I bent down to retrieve my lunch pail. "That is, assuming that I'm welcome?"

"Absolutely!" she exclaimed as she took me by the arm and nearly dragged me over to the rest of the girls. "Hey, gang; this is my dad, Okazaki Tomoya."

"Good morning, girls," I greeted with a wave.

"Good morning, Okazaki-san," most of them greeted, though I was sure I heard 'Okazaki-sama' from Kumiko's direction.

"Is it okay if he eats with us?" she asked the group. "He took the day off from work and wore his old school uniform to come here today."

Several different expressions of approval echoed from the group, so Ushio sat back down and patted the seat next to her as she smiled up at me; I half-chuckled, half-sighed as I sat where she had indicated.

I'd barely opened my lunch before someone asked, "So, what's your job?"

I chuckled somewhat awkwardly; while I wasn't embarrassed about my work, I also knew that it wasn't anything to really brag about. "Well, I-"

"He's an accountant for the local power company," Ushio interrupted with a look of pride. "He makes sure everyone gets paid what they're supposed to, and he has final say on all purchases the company makes. He's like…the financial heart of the company!"

"I'm not that important, Ushio," I said. "I just crunch numbers and make sure the company doesn't go broke."

"But that's important, too, don't you think?" she countered.

"I…I suppose…." I admitted.

"And was I wrong about the other stuff?" she pressed. "Don't you make sure that everyone's paid right?"

"Well, yeah."

"And aren't you the one who has to approve all of the purchases?"

"Yes, Ushio, but-"

"Then your job's important, don't you think?"

I sighed before smiling at her in resignation. "Fine, Ushio, but…could we not argue in front of everybody? I came here to eat lunch with you, after all."

"Oh! I'm sorry!" she gasped, covering her mouth, and in the background I could hear her friends giggling. "H-Here, let me make it up to you!" She grabbed my lunch out of my hands, found the chopsticks, and grabbed up a piece of meat. "Here…say 'ah'…"

"Shio-chan!" someone called out.

"It's okay," she called back. "He lets me do this every once in a while!"

I had to pull my head back as she almost jabbed me in the cheek with my own chopsticks. "Yes, that's true, but-"

"So say 'ah'…," she ordered, thrusting the meat at me again. Rather than argue even more, I opened my mouth and accepted the food from her as the rest of the girls squealed. "That's it…" she said encouragingly.

"All right, I've taken a bite; please give me my lunch back."

"Can't I feed you some more?" she asked with doe eyes firmly in place.

I desperately tried to keep my face from bursting into flame as the girls giggled again. "Ushio, when I was in high school, a girl fed a boy only if the two of them were dating. I understand if things are different now, but-"

"No, it's the same now," one of the girls said.

I froze for several seconds in mild panic. "Give me that," I demanded, nearly grabbing my lunch from my daughter. "Thank you for trying to be nice to me, sweetheart, but I don't want to give anyone the wrong idea."

"O…Okay," she replied with her face downturned. "I understand."

"Could I feed you, then?" a voice piped up. "I'm not your daughter, so-"

"S-Stop that, Marika!" Kumiko scolded. "H-He's old enough to be our dad!"

"But he's cute!"

I buried my face in my hands in response to a chorus of agreements. Had I made a mistake in visiting Ushio at school? Would I ever be able to finish my lunch? I started packing up my meal. "Look, if my presence is going to be a problem, then I'll leave. Ushio, I'm sorry for disrupting your time with your friends. Have fun, and I'll see you at home, okay?"

As I started to stand up, however, she grabbed my arm. "N-No! Wait, please! I'm sorry for causing trouble. We all are, right?" she asked, addressing the group, who answered with nods and 'me too's. "See, Daddy? It's not your fault! I just got excited and got everyone else worked up, okay?"

I briefly studied her desperate expression before relenting. "All right, I'll stay. But I'm going to eat my meal and you'll eat yours, right?"

My daughter glanced over at the group before looking back to me and nodding vigorously. "R-Right!"

"Do you enjoy your job?" someone asked as I settled back in.

I allowed myself to think about my answer as I finished my bite. "I'd have to say 'yeah'," I replied. "I mean, it's not glamorous or anything, but it puts food on the table and clothes on our backs, so…" I gave a single-shoulder shrug along with a lopsided grin. "Yeah…it's good."

"Have you ever considered modeling?" another voice asked, causing the girls to giggle again.

I felt my face heat up, but considering Kumiko's confession at Ushio's grad party it wasn't too surprising. "No, I haven't." Giving in to an impish urge I added, "What about all of you? When my daughter brought me over here, I thought she was going to introduce me to one of those idol singing groups."

A collective squeal rose from the group and several of the girls started fanning themselves, causing me to wonder if I'd made a mistake. "Th-Thank you very much, s-sir," a somewhat familiar voice said, and I saw that it belonged to the green-haired girl from the grad party – 'Hoshiko' was her name, if I remembered correctly.

"Dad!" Ushio hissed, grabbing my shoulder to whisper into my ear. "You're very handsome, so if you say something nice about a girl she'll get the wrong idea."

"Oh," I whispered back. "But I'm too-" I cut my self off from saying 'I'm too old' when I remembered Kumiko's confession again. "Sorry; won't happen again."

She released my shoulder with a reproachful look that quickly melted to a smile. "Okay, To-I mean, Daddy. Thank you."

Figuring that I didn't want to attract any more unwelcome attention, I directed my own attention to my meal. "How do you like things here?" I asked Ushio.

"Well, it's nice that most of my friends are here, but I still miss…" From there she listed about six or seven names, and what I got was that they had started attending the local industrial school.

"Do you see them after school?" I asked. "On the way home, maybe?"

"Sometimes," she said, scooting a little closer. "We don't see each other every day, but it's fun when we do."

"Well, if you wanted to invite them over sometime, I wouldn't mind," I told her. "Saturdays would be the best; you could arrange to meet after school and head on over."

"We could do that…" he mused, her eyes becoming unfocused. Then she gave me an impish grin as she leaned toward me to whisper, "But I wouldn't want them to see you; I've had enough of friends confessing to you."

I nearly choked on my bite, and she thumped my back a few times. "I'll…keep that in mind," I said when I could speak again.

* * *

"Thanks for visiting me, Daddy," Ushio said, holding my arm as she walked me to the main gate. "It was fun."

"I'm glad you enjoyed it," I replied. "Making arrangements with the school was the easy part; getting this stupid tie on was the hardest."

She covered her mouth as she laughed out loud. "I-I'll bet. You've always had trouble with neckties, haven't you?"

"I'm just glad for the exemption at work," I told her as we stopped just inside the gate. "Neckties are part of the uniform, but my boss felt sorry for me."

"Well, I'd be happy to help you with it every morning if you need me," she offered with another giggle as she released my arm to face me.

"Thanks, but I can't be counting on you forever," I said. Feeling impish I added, "You're going to move out eventually, leaving me to wrestle with my own tie. Oh, the humanity!" I finished with an air of melodrama.

Apparently my attempt at humor was lost on her because her gaze was fixed on the ground between us. "Y-Yeah…"

"Sweetie? You okay?" I asked. "Did I hurt your feelings?"

"N-No," she replied, though her face had an intense look. "Just…thinking."

"About tomorrow?" I asked, thinking of the after-school activity that we did every Saturday. 'Hey, if you want to hang out with your friends, I'll understand."

"It's not that!" she exclaimed while taking hold of my arm again. "But…I am thinking about what I want to do tomorrow."

"Okay, well, we can talk about it after you get home," I said, gently tugging my arm out of her grip as the warning bell sounded; it was nice to know they were still using bells after all these years. "Enjoy the rest of your day, sweetheart, and I'll see you later."

"Okay, Daddy," she replied in a subdued tone before stepping up to kiss me on the cheek. She then waved to me as she headed back into the school.

I smiled as I returned her wave, then turned to leave, pulling my handkerchief out of my pocket to wipe the corner of my mouth…again.


	9. Heartthrob, Heartache

**Chapter Nine: Heartthrob, Heartache**

"Yes, I'm coming…" I grumbled in response to my cell phone as it demanded my attention. Ushio had just left for school, and I was trying to get my own day started. Seeing who was calling, however, abruptly changed my disposition and I quickly picked it up. "Hello?

" _Hey, Tomoya!"_ Kyou's voice greeted from the other end. _"It's been a while."_

"Yeah," I said, trying to remember when I had seen her last. "Yeah, last time we saw each other was the day before Ushio's grad party."

" _Oh, that's right! How did that go? Did she have a good time?"_

"As far as I could tell, she did," I said somewhat evasively, still feeling some residual awkwardness due to Kumiko's confession. "She had a bunch of friends over, and they watched movies and had snacks and stuff."

" _Did any of them flirt with you?"_

"N-No," I answered truthfully; technically, the situation with Kumiko was a confession as opposed to flirting. "No one flirted with me."

" _That_ _sounds like an evasion,"_ she said impishly. _"So what_ _really_ _happened?"_

"I'm not talking about it," I said firmly. "It was a difficult situation to deal with, but I dealt with it and it's over, and I'd like to leave it that way."

" _Okay, fair enough,"_ she replied, more seriously this time. _"Sorry."_

"So what were you calling about?" I asked, trying to not sound like I was trying to get off the phone. "I'm not busy right now, so we can catch up if you want."

" _Could we come over for dinner tonight? We'd bring the food."_

"'We'?"

" _Yeah, me and my sister and Kappei and the kids. I have something I'd like to tell everyone, and I'd like to do it over there…if that's okay, I mean."_

"Why here? Your sister's house is a lot bigger."

" _Because, Tomoya! Your place was the first place I went to for a major change, and now that I might be going through another, I'd like to… I'm not sure how to explain it."_

"Is this your last change? If things work out, that is?"

" _Yeah. I guess you could look at it like bookends. The first and the last, together."_

"I think I understand…well enough, at least," I replied. "Well, if you don't mind being cramped, you're welcome to come over. I'm sure Ushio would be thrilled to see you, regardless."

" _Oh, and you_ _wouldn't_ _be?"_ she said, her tone turning impish again.

"Kyou, we've been out of high school for while, now," I griped. "Can't I say a positive without you turning it into a negative?"

" _Jeez, Tomoya, you're no fun!"_

"We all have to be good at something," I deadpanned. "What time did you want to come over? I know you have dinner a little later than we do, so…"

" _Six is fine; that's when you have dinner, right?"_

"About that time, yeah."

I heard her briefly talk to someone on her end, then: _"How about we plan to be there at five? That way, we can talk a little before starting dinner prep."_

I took a moment to think about it. "Sure, that sounds fine," I told her. "Ushio'd probably like to help if she could."

" _I'm sure we could fit her in_ _some_ _where…"_

"All right; see you about five, then," I replied, ignoring her attempt at humor.

" _See ya!"_

I shook my head as I ended the call and placed my phone in my pocket. Ushio would probably want to help get our home ready for company, so I headed to my room and picked up my current read and plopped down in the corner for a nice, quiet time.

" _T-Tomoya…"_

"Hm."

" _Tomoya…?"_

"Huh?" I grunted as I sat up; I must have fallen asleep while reading.

"D-Daddy? Are you awake, now?"

I blinked several times as I waited for my eyes to adjust to the light and looked up to my daughter's face hovering inches from mine. "Oh, hey sweetie. Sorry…I must have fallen asleep."

"It's okay," she replied, and I noticed that her face was a little red. "You gave me a key a while ago, remember? I got in all right."

"Oh, right," I grunted as I got to my feet; I then remembered Kyou's phone call. "Hey, uh…" I started stretching from side to side to work out any kinks. "…Kyou and the Hiiragis will be coming for dinner tonight. Will that work? As far as I know, you didn't have anything going on this evening."

"Kyou-sensei?" she exclaimed as she clapped. "I haven't seen her in forever!"

"It hasn't been that long, but I'm glad you're excited," I said. "You up to helping me get the place ready? I almost started myself, but then I thought you'd like to help with something like this."

"Sure!" she chirped before giving me a quick hug. "Do you need me to run to the store for anything? I just need to put my school stuff away, and-"

"No, we're fine," I interrupted with a raised hand. "They'll be bringing stuff over to make, but they'd be open to you helping them with dinner prep, if you wanted."

"That sounds great!" She grabbed me by the hand. "Come on; let's go get things ready!"

All I could do was chuckle at her excitement as I let her drag me down the hall to the living room.

* * *

I looked up from my last bit of cleaning to a knock at the door, and I smiled as I glanced at the clock: Five-o-clock, right on the nose. "Coming…" I tossed my cleaning rag on the counter and gave my hands a quick wash before heading to the front door.

"Heeeeyyy…" Kyou greeted as I opened the door.

"Hey, Kyou," I greeted, smile still in place as I stepped aside. "Come on in."

"Thanks!" she chirped as she moved past me into our home, only to be immediately glomped by a squealing Ushio. I smiled, leaving them to their 'interaction' as I turned back to the door to greet the Hiiragis. "Hello Ryou, Kappei; it's good to see you again."

"Okazaki!" Kappei boomed, shaking my hand as Ryou bowed. "Good to see you again, too!"

"Thanks," I said, then gestured to the living room. "Go ahead and take a seat wherever you want."

"Thank you," Ryou replied softly as she followed her husband into my home.

Following them was Mika and a boy that I'd never seen before, but had heard about. "Mika-san, good to see you again; Tadashi-san, nice to meet you."

"Oh, that's right!" Kappei exclaimed as he headed back our way. "This is your first time seeing Tadashi, isn't it?"

"I think so," I replied. "I remember seeing Mika-san that one time about ten years ago, but…I think Ryou told me that he was at school at the time."

"Well, this is my boy!" Kappei said proudly as he threw his arm around his son's shoulder. "Hiiragi Tadashi, fifteen years old."

"Dad, I can speak for myself," the teenager complained, shrugging off his father's arm. He then politely bowed to me, an interesting contrast to his treatment of his dad. "Pleased to meet you, sir."

"Pleased to meet you, too," I replied, bowing as well. "Welcome to my home."

"Thank you," he replied, bowing once more before following his dad to the living room. As they went I had to hold back a snicker as I heard him complaining, followed by Kappei saying something in an apologetic tone.

After closing the door, I turned with a sigh and headed to the living room. To my surprise, my spot at the kotatsu was empty; Ushio must have had something to do with that. Instead of sitting in her usual spot, though, she was sitting next to mine.

"How are your classes going, Shio-chan?" Ryou asked as I settled into my seat. "Are you getting used to the school?"

"Almost," my daughter replied. "It's so much bigger than my old middle school, and there are a lot more students, too."

"A little intimidating, huh?" Kappei asked, with his arm around his wife.

"A little," Ushio admitted with a giggle. "But a lot of my friends from my old school are there, so it's not like I'm totally lost. "

"That's good."

"How about you two?" I asked the Hiiragi children. "You're on the student council, aren't you, Mika-san?"

"Yes, sir!" Mika chirped proudly. "I'm the head of the Disciplinary Committee."

"How many members are in that one?" I asked.

She brought her hand to her mouth with her giggle. "Just one."

"Seriously?" I chuckled. "That must keep you busy."

"You have no idea."

"I might have some idea," I said, allowing a smirk to form. "That delinquent act you saw wasn't completely an act."

"Tomoya-san?" Ryou interjected. "You sound like you've seen Mika recently."

"You didn't tell your parents?" I said, to which Mika shook her head. "I dressed up in my old school uniform to surprise Ushio at lunchtime, and…met up with your daughter on the way in."

"Sounds like there's more to it than that," Kyou said with a catty look. "Mika, what's he not telling us?"

The poor girl blushed furiously under the scrutiny of both of her parents as well as her aunt. "When I saw him, I thought…I thought he was a delinquent, and…threatened to take him to the principal's office."

"Seriously?" Kyou crowed as Kappei laughed. "It's about time!"

"But I should have known better!" Mika exclaimed, facing her family. "If I'd taken the time to look at his uniform instead of just making assumptions about him, I wouldn't have made that mistake!" She looked over at me, blush still in place. "Thank you for being so kind in spite of the way I treated you."

"Hey, I played along, didn't I?" I said, trying to calm her down. "If I'd just been upfront with you, this could have been cleared up easily."

"M-Maybe," she said, casting her gaze to the table. "Still, you gave me something important to think about, and…thank you."

"Wait a minute…Tomoya taught you something?" Kyou asked while giving me an impish look.

"What did he teach you?" Ryou asked, apparently trying to stop her sister's teasing.

The high-schooler's face scrunched cutely as she thought. "He taught me that…rules are there for us, and that we should be patient with others because we don't know what they might be going through."

The twins plus Kappei looked to me in disbelief. "You really said that to her?"

I shrugged awkwardly. "She put it better than I did, but yeah, that's the basic idea."

"You put it perfectly, sir," Mika said politely. "I just can't remember how you said it very well."

"Amazing…" Kyou breathed, her previous impish expression gone. "That's…really deep, Tomoya."

"It's not that deep," I said, feeling sheepish.

"No, that is impressive," Kappei interjected. "We've been trying to get that kind of thing through her head for the last couple of years. Thanks."

"Dad!" Mika cried, covering her face as her brother laid a hand on her back.

"May…Maybe we should start on dinner?" Ryou suggested as she started to her feet. "Mika, would you come with me, please?"

"Yes, Mom." Mika uncovered her face and shot to her feet before hurrying to the kitchen. Kyou also got up and followed her sister, presumably to help out.

"Did I say something wrong?" Kappei asked with a puzzled look.

Ushio quietly cleared her throat. "I don't know about Mika-senpai, but if Dad talked about something I learned around other people, I'd feel embarrassed."

"Which is why I'm careful about those kinds of things," I added, giving my daughter an understanding smile.

"Damn." We looked to see Kappei with a thoughtful look. "If I embarrassed her, then that wasn't very manly of me."

"I'm sure if you apologize, she'll forgive you and everything will be fine," Ushio said reassuringly.

"For what it's worth, I agree," I said.

He thought for another moment, then started to his feet. "Be right back."

Ushio and I looked at each other before looking to the remaining Hiiragi. "Well, Tadashi-san…how are things going for you?"

"They're going okay, sir," he replied anxiously. "One of the nice things is that I'm in the highest grade at my school, but…" He looked to my daughter. "You're so lucky, Okazaki-senpai; you're a year closer to being done with school than I am."

"Thank you," she replied, blushing lightly, "but I envy you; you'll have more time before you have to move away from your family."

"I'm actually looking forward to moving out and being my own man," he said proudly. "Mom and Dad have taught me a lot, so I feel like I'm ready now. But…" He shrugged with an embarrassed grin. "…I know I still have a lot to learn, so I have to keep myself under control, not get ahead of myself."

What a remarkable young man. "That's impressive, Tadashi-san," I told him. "You sound like you know yourself pretty well, a lot better than I was at your age."

"Thank you, sir," he said bowing as far as the tabletop would allow.

"Please excuse me," Ushio said as she got up from her seat. "I'm going to go help with dinner."

"Okay, sweetie; have fun," I said. I then kept my paternal protectiveness in check as I saw the Hiiragi boy watch her as she moved to the kitchen area. "So, what are your plans for your future?" I asked, trying to distract him from my daughter.

To my surprise, he redirected his attention back to me a lot more easily than I thought he would. "Right now I'd just like to finish school and find out what I'm good at."

I had to chuckle at that. "Okay, fair enough," I conceded. "I guess it is a little too soon to be asking questions like that."

"Yes, sir."

Just then, Kappei returned with a relieved look. "That went better than I thought it would. Anyway, the ladies are asking us to help set up the dishes and stuff."

"On my way," I grunted as I got to my feet. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Tadashi getting up as well.

Between the three of us we got everything set up, and the girls started putting out the food.

"That was fast," I remarked as Kyou walked by with a bowl of noodles.

"We did most of the cooking at home," she told me. "We just didn't want to mix stuff together before bringing it over."

"That makes sense."

"Good!" she said with a wink as she headed back to the kitchen.

It took a few trips, but eventually the kotatsu was decorated with delicious-smelling food. "Wow," I said as I saw all the colorful dishes. "There sure is a lot of it."

"Well, we have one teen-aged boy and two strapping men here," Kyou remarked as she knelt by the table.

"And you need lots of protein," Ryou added as she gently and repeatedly squeezed her husband's arm.

"I'm not as active as I used to be," Kappei chuckled, "but thanks for thinking of us."

We put our hands together. _"Itadakimasu."_

We ate quietly for a couple of minutes before I had to ask: "So, what's up, Kyou? What's this change you were talking about?"

"That's right!" Ryou chirped. "I've been enjoying our time so much, I'd forgotten why we'd come here."

"All right, all right," Kyou said as the kids snickered. "I'll tell you." She took a deep breath, and I could tell that she was trying to collect her thoughts. "The truth is…I met a neat guy a few days ago."

"Really?" Mika squealed. "Congratulations, Oba-san!"

"That's really cool," Tadashi agreed. "Good for you."

"What's his name?" I asked. "After what you've been through, he must be pretty impressive."

"I'm…not ready to tell you his name," she said, looking down at the tabletop, "but I can tell you that he's a priest from a temple in Hikarizaka."

"Talk about polar opposites," Kappei said with a smirk, and I knew he was thinking of Kyou's ex-husband. "What religion? Shinto? Buddhist?"

"I can't remember," she admitted. "But we talked long enough for me to learn that it respects women, so that's a good start."

"Have you found someone who knows how to treat a lady, loves kids, and wants one of his own?" I asked with a knowing smile.

Kyou gave me the happiest smile I'd ever seen in a long time. "I'm not sure about the last one, but I know he loves kids," she said. "It's just sad that he doesn't have any of his own."

"How old is he?" Ryou asked.

"I'm not sure, but I think he's in his late forties or early fifties," Kyou said.

"And you're not worried that he may not want kids of his own?" I asked. "Could you live with that?"

Her smile faded as she sighed heavily. "I dunno; I've considered adoption as a last resort, but…" Her smile regained some of its brightness. "At this point I'll just be grateful for guy who won't neglect me."

"Kyou…" Ryou sighed sadly.

"Don't worry, Ryou," she said, patting her on the shoulder, "I'll be a lot more careful this time."

"I want to meet this man," Kappei declared as he sent a look my way, "and I think Okazaki would like to as well; all of us are concerned about your well-being, so we'd like to be sure you're not going to be hurt again."

"Same here," I added. "You've dealt with enough crap for two or three lifetimes, Kyou."

"Thanks, you two," she said, smiling fondly at us. "Just…let me see how things go, and I'll introduce you to him, okay?"

Kappei and I shared a look before he spoke. "That'll work, sis. I really hope this works out for you."

"Me, too," Kyou sighed. "He's just so…perfect."

I found myself wanting to meet this 'perfect' fellow.

* * *

"Thanks for having us over," Kappei said as the Hiiragis plus Kyou gathered at the front door. "It was a blast."

"Glad you had a good time," I said. "Sorry I couldn't be more entertaining."

"Well, we came over so you all could listen to me," Kyou declared. "Wasn't that good enough?"

"Yes, yes," Kappei said, laughing. "You were really entertaining, sis. Well Okazaki, it was good seeing you again," he said, extending his hand. "We'll have to have the two of you over sometime. Soon."

"I look forward to it already," I replied, smiling as I shook his hand; there was something contagious about his enthusiasm.

"And it was so good to see you again!" Kyou said while exchanging a hug with my daughter. "You and I should have some Girl Time sometime, leave these oafs at home."

"Kyou…" Ryou giggled.

"You can come, too, of course," Kyou added. "And Mika, too! You boys better save up a lot of money for this!" she finished, wagging her finger and Kappei and I.

"Sure, sis," Kappei replied with a smirk, while all I could do was shake my head with a snort.

The adults stepped through the door, leaving the Hiiragi siblings. "It was good meeting you, sir," Tadashi said, bowing.

"I'm sorry we didn't get to talk more," I said returning his bow. "Maybe next time. Take care of yourself, Tadashi-san."

The young man bowed again before joining his parents on the front porch.

"It was nice seeing you again, Okazaki-sama," Mika said with a bow. "See you at school."

"See you at…huh?" I was genuinely confused until I saw the impish smile on her face. "Yeah, Disciplinary Committee; see you around."

She appeared to study me for a moment longer before joining the rest of her family.

"Have a good night," Kappei greeted as they turned to leave.

"You, too," I said, waving.

"Be safe," Ushio added, waving as well.

I dropped my hand as they disappeared around the corner. "That was exhausting," I said as I leaned against the doorway. "I was glad to see them, but…"

I twitched slightly as I felt something start rubbing my back, and I looked over to see Ushio looking at me with a warm smile. "You're not used to having so many people over, huh?"

"Nope," I grunted as I rubbed my eyes. "Your mom would have been so much better at this than I am."

I felt the rubbing slow down. "Then…I'll get better at being a hostess," she said. "I like entertaining people, and you wouldn't have to worry about it."

I smiled as I reached out to wrap my arm around her shoulders. "Thanks sweetie, but I need to be a big boy and learn how to do this. You won't be around forever, remember?"

"Y-Yeah…"

"Thanks for worrying about me, though," I said, giving her a kiss on the top of her head. "It really does mean a lot to me."

"Y-Yeah… You're welcome…."

I took a quick glance at my watch as I felt a yawn. "Listen, I'm gonna turn in early; that wore me out more than I thought it would."

"O-Okay, D-Daddy."

"You okay?" I asked, and leaned down to try to get a better look at her downturned face. "Maybe you should hit the sack early, too."

"That…might be a good idea," she said, giving me a squeeze. "A-Are you going to take a bath? You can go first, if you want."

"I'd probably better," I replied. "I'll try to be quick, though; don't want to fall asleep in the tub, after all."

"Y-Yeah…"

Unsure of what else to say, I gave her another kiss before heading to my room. Less than an hour later, I was in bed.

* * *

I lay on my back in our bed with Nagisa laying on top of me, and we were kissing like it would be outlawed the next day. In spite of her shyness at school, she was a very passionate girl who knew what she wanted, and I knew that she wanted me at least as much as I wanted her.

My eyes flickered open to my darkened bedroom, though I could see a small amount of light coming in through the side of my blinds. Strangely, though, I could still feel Nagisa's weight on me. "What the-!"

"Shhh…" I heard softly in the darkness. "It's okay."

As my eyes adjusted to the low light, I could finally see who was weighing me down. "U-Ushio?"

"Yes, Tomoya."

'Tomoya'? "What are you doing? A-Are you having a hard time sleeping?"

"N-Not anymore," she whispered.

As my eyes adjusted even further I could see… "Are you wearing one of my shirts?"

She nodded solemnly. "Yes."

"Why? What's going on?"

She didn't reply immediately, but in the dim light I thought I could see tears streaming down her cheeks. "I-I'm sorry…"

"Wh-what for?"

She reached out and caressed my cheek in a way that made me shudder, partly from horror and partly from arousal. "For…For taking Mama from you."

"Wh-What do you mean?" I asked as I tried to ignore signals from a long-dormant part of my body.

"I…I killed Mama…your wife…" she said in a shuddering tone, "…so…I have to make up for it."

"Make up for it…?" I started to ask, and then things started to click; her wanting to hold my arm, her desire to become a better wife, her jealous behavior toward Kyou… "Ushio…if you're thinking what I think you're thinking, you…you can't do this."

"I have to!" she insisted. "Do you think I can't see how lonely you've been? I can see how hard it's been for you, trying to do all this without someone by your side!" She took a deep breath as she looked down, and at that moment I realized that my pajama shirt had been unbuttoned. "And…I know that even men your age really like…need…sex."

My stomach slithered…somewhere, probably into the floor. Was she serious? "U-Ushio…I'm your dad. We can't do this. We shouldn't do this."

"I know," she said as she took my hand and held it to her face. "And, really, I don't want to. But…I have to make up for taking Mama away from you."

Part of me marveled at her courage, her willingness to do what she thought was necessary, even if she didn't want to, but… "You don't have to make up for anything, sweetie; just be a wonderful daughter like you always have, and-"

"You don't understand!" she interrupted, reminding me of another one of the warning signs that I missed. "I've been planning this for a long time! Years!"

"Years?" I asked as I became aware that my left hand was starting to fall asleep due to being caught under her bent leg. "H-How long?"

"Since I was twelve," she said quietly. "Do you see now, Tomoya? I've been getting myself ready for you."

"But-!" I thought of many arguments, but none that would work within the reality she'd created for herself. "If you do this, then you'll take my daughter away from me, won't you?"

"I know," she said sadly. "But I'll make up for it by giving you as many sons and daughters as it takes to make the pain go away."

I suddenly found myself glad I hadn't eaten yet; I would have ended up making a huge mess. "No. You need to stop, right now." I pulled my hand from hers. "Please get off of me and go back to your room."

I felt her flinch, and then… "No, Tomoya; I'm sorry, but I have to make things right."

My left hand had completely fallen asleep, but I could still use my right and I used it to reach for her shoulder, to try to push her sideways off of me. "Ushio…"

I'd intended to repeat my command, but she grabbed my hand with both of hers and started to fight me. "No! Please! I have to do this!" she cried as she tried to put my hand on her chest…her bare chest.

I yelped as I tried to pull my hand away, but she held on to it and fell forward onto me. As she landed, I panicked as my hand was pushed above my head and I felt an explosion of pain in my shoul


	10. Recovery

**Chapter Ten: Recovery**

My eyes opened to stark whiteness. Blinking several times revealed small black dots in the mass of white. I started to wonder where I was before discovering that my thinking was muddy.

I heard a soft click to my left, and looked to see a man in a white coat who smiled when he saw me. "How are you feeling?"

"Kinda foggy," I croaked through a dry and sore throat, and I could hear that even my words were coming out slowly. "Are you a doctor?"

"Yes, I am," he said evenly, for which I was grateful; I didn't think I'd be able to handle a bunch of noise.

I took a moment to put together my question. "Why…do I feel so sluggish? It's…kinda hard to think."

"We had to put you on a pretty high dose of painkiller," he replied as he picked up a clipboard from the end of my bed. "You were…" He glanced up at me before looking back to my info. "Well, let's just say that you were in a lot of pain and leave it at that."

"Okay." I looked around the room as he continued to read from the clipboard. "Why am I here?"

"We were actually hoping you could tell us that," he said, replacing the board. "From what I understand, though, your daughter called an ambulance, and-"

I gasped as a flood of memories started to return; the gathering, Kyou's announcement, and… "Oh my god… Ushio. Is she okay? Is my daughter all right?"

"Fine, as far as we can tell." He walked slowly up beside the head of my bed. "Look, I'm not sure how you're going to take this, but…the police are here, and would like to ask you a few questions."

That was it; my life was over. They'd assume that I forced myself on my own daughter, and I'd spend the rest of my so-called life in prison. "Well…it'd be better if I wasn't so foggy, but…" I felt a twinge in my right shoulder as I shrugged with a heavy sigh. "…Let's get it over with."

"All right." He went back over to the door and opened it, and I could briefly see two policemen outside before he closed the door behind him. I couldn't tell for sure, but it sounded like he was saying something to them in a stern tone. Then, the door clicked open again. "Remember, he's heavily sedated and may not be very coherent," he said, presumably to the officers.

"Understood," the taller of the two said as he approached my bedside while pulling out a tablet computer. "Okazaki Tomoya-san?"

"Yeah," I grunted as I shifted my position in bed to get a better look at him.

"I'm Officer Ueno and this is Officer Oshiro," he said, gesturing to the shorter, stockier man. "We'd just like to ask you a few questions about what happened."

"All right," I said, dreading the inevitable.

"Can you tell me, to the best of your recollection, what happened early this morning with your daughter?"

I sighed heavily; the very memory broke my heart, but… "I was having a dream about me and my wife and then I woke up to find Ushio sitting on me, dressed in one of my business shirts."

"Where, exactly, was she sitting?" the shorter officer asked. "On your stomach, your legs, or…?"

"On…my hips, just…" I tried to find the best way to describe the situation while still keeping it decent. "…just below my bellybutton."

"So she wasn't directly on your genitals?" Ueno said.

"No, sir," I replied, trying to contain my shock at the question.

Some scribbling, then: "You said she was wearing one of your shirts; could you tell what else she was wearing?"

"I'm…not sure," I admitted. "I had the curtains shut, so I couldn't see very well, but…" I squeezed my eyes shut and forced myself to answer, "All I can remember is that she was wearing my shirt and her pan-her underpants."

I saw the officers glance at each other with grave expressions, then Officer Ueno looked back to me. "I'm sorry to have to ask this, but…was there any penetration?"

"NO!" I yelled. "She's my daughter! I'd never do anything like that! Or allow anything like that if I could stop it!" I started to shake, and I could feel tears pooling in my eyes. "I woke up to her on top of me, wanting to have s-sex with me to make up for the loss of her mother!" The tears started to overflow, but I couldn't care at that point. "My wife died giving birth to her, and I think she thinks it's her fault and I guess she's trying to make up for it!"

"Did she give you any clue, any hint, that she felt that way?" Officer Oshiro asked, then gave me a lopsided smile. "Don't worry; we haven't forgotten you're on meds right now."

I took a deep breath to calm myself down. "I don't know… Maybe. When she turned sixteen back in February, she told me that she wanted to become a better wife, but I assumed she was talking about getting ready to be some young man's wife." I swallowed, trying to get rid of a feeling of nausea. "I figured she was just using me for practice 'cause I was a 'safe' person."

"One last question since we can see you're starting to fade out," Officer Ueno said. "Your shoulder; we figure it was injured during the…the situation. Is there anything you can tell us about that?"

"Why do you need to know?" I asked.

Officer Oshiro opened his mouth, then seemed to catch himself. "We'll tell you after your answer."

"We don't want to influence your response," Ueno explained.

I mulled this over as much as my sleepy brain could; it seemed a fair question. "My shoulder was actually injured back when I was in middle school," I explained. "Because of that, I can't raise it higher than about halfway."

"Did it cause pain to force it higher than that?" Ueno asked.

"I don't know," I said, managing a smile. "I never risked it."

"Fair enough," Officer Oshiro said with a chuckle. "We asked because we'd have to charge your daughter with assault if she was the original cause of your injury."

My skin grew cold at the idea of my little girl going to prison. "Officer? Will you be arresting anyone? I don't want Ushio to go to prison."

"I'm not allowed to say at this point," Officer Ueno said as he rested a hand on my good shoulder, "but I can say that if the two of you have been completely truthful with us, then our report should show that no arrests should be necessary." He gave me a meaningful look. "With that being said; is there anything else you think we should know?"

I gave his question some thought. "Not right now, but… If I think of something later, can I let you know?"

He smiled affably. "Sure, but understand that we may not be able to admit any statements after this."

I mulled this over as my shoulder started to ache. "I…think I've told you everything I can, to the best of my recollection."

"Then thank you for your time, and I hope you recover quickly," Officer Oshiro said, and they turned and headed toward the door.

One question dominated my mind at that point: "Officer?"

The two men stopped by the door and looked back to me.

"Have you talked to my daughter? Is she okay?"

They briefly exchanged glances. "Considering the circumstances, she's fine," Officer Ueno said. "She seems like a strong girl. A strong-willed girl."

I managed to chuckle. "Yeah, she can be. Thanks, officer. Take care."

The taller officer nodded once before opening the door and heading out, the other one following.

Oddly enough, I felt a sense of peace as I settled back into bed and allowed myself to drift to sleep.

* * *

My eyes fluttered open to the sound of my door opening, and Pops and Sanae entered, bringing a smile to my face. "Hi," I croaked, feeling a smile spread across my face at the sight of my in-laws.

"Hey, brat," Akio greeted with a slight whistle to his voice, a side-effect of his smoking addiction. "What kind of trouble didja get yourself into this time?"

I opened my mouth to reply, then thought better of it; if there was an investigation going on… "I probably shouldn't say just yet; the police are investigating, and-"

"The police?" Sanae gasped, covering her mouth. "So that's why they brought Shio-chan to us!"

"Probably," I said. "I'm not fit to take care of her right now, and…"

"You can't tell us because of the investigation," Pops finished for me. "Fine. At least that explains why they couldn't tell us anything."

"Is she okay? Did she tell you what happened?"

"No," he said with a short shake of the head. "She seemed really sad…lost, really. She's just been sleeping and eating, mostly."

"Did she go to school?"

"No, we went and picked up her assignments," Sanae said with a worried look.

There was knock at the door, and it opened to reveal Ryou in her nurse uniform. "Oh, hey," I greeted.

"Good afternoon, Tomoya-san," she greeted as she made her way to my bedside. "I'm here to replenish your pain medication."

"Thanks," I grunted. "Any idea how much longer you'll be stupefying me?"

She giggled as she detached the empty IV bag. "Well, we've already been able to reduce your dosage by about a fourth," she replied.

"Why're they doping you up?" Pops asked.

"My shoulder was reinjured," I explained; I figured I could tell them that much.

"That's a shame," Sanae said with sympathy in her eyes. "I do hope you recover quickly."

"Thanks, me too," I quipped, drawing smiles from them.

"Have the doctors talked to you about…? Well, I guess not yet," Ryou said, drawing my attention.

"About what?" I asked.

"It's not my place to say, but they should be around later today to talk to you, then," she replied.

"Okay."

Just then, there was another knock at the door. "You're popular today, brat," Pops said with a smirk.

The door opened, and an unfamiliar face appeared. "Oh! I'm sorry, I didn't realize you had company!"

"Come on in," I grunted. "There's plenty of room."

"I'll be leaving in just a moment," Ryou said as she finished attaching a fresh IV bag.

He smiled as he turned to close the door behind him, then made his way to stand next to Pops and Sanae, and I took a moment to study him. He definitely wasn't Japanese; his skin was too pale. I couldn't tell how old he was, but the salt-and-pepper color of his hair told me that he was an older man. "Good afternoon, Okazaki-san; I'm Ashton Jeff; I'm the chaplain for the hospital." I was surprised that, despite being a non-Japanese, he had a very light accent; in fact, if I wasn't listening for it, I probably would have missed it. "I'm here to see if there's anything I can do for you, but if this is a bad time…" he trailed off as he looked over at my in-laws with a smile. "Nice to meet you both," he greeted with an informal bow.

"Yeah…you too," Pops greeted with duck of his head.

"It's a pleasure to meet you as well!" Sanae gushed. "What does a chap…I'm sorry; this should wait for another time." She turned to me and laid a hand on the side of my face. "We should be going; you have healing to do, and this nice man is here to help you."

"You sure?" the chaplain said. "I can come back later."

"We've pretty much said what we want to," Pops said. "He's fine, so we're fine. Thanks, though." He fixed his gaze on me. "Get better soon, brat."

"I'll do my best."

"And don't worry," Sanae said as she joined her husband by the door. "We'll take good care of Shio-chan."

"I know you will. Thanks."

Pops and Sanae left the room, Ryou following them after giving the chaplain and me a bow to which he gave a small wave in response.

"They seem like neat people," he observed as the door closed. "Are they your parents?"

"Sort of," I replied. "They're actually my in-laws."

"They sure seem fond of you," he said, causing me to wonder how he'd think that with the way Pops tended to speak to me. "In-laws, huh? I'm surprised your wife isn't here; is she at work?"

"She…won't be visiting," I told him. "She died about sixteen years ago."

His face fell almost immediately. "Oh, I'm so sorry. I didn't…" he gestured at me helplessly. "For what it's worth; you have my condolences."

"Thanks, and don't worry about it," I said. "It's been a long time, anyway."

"You never really get over it, though, do you?"

I blinked at his question; how did he know? "No…it still hurts every once in a while. Most of the time it's tolerable, though."

"What have you been doing to cope?" he asked with what looked like genuine concern.

"Well, at first I tried smoking, drinking, and working myself to death," I joked, drawing a slight smile from him. "Seriously, though, what really helped was raising my daughter."

"How so?"

"Caring for her took my attention away from my own pain, gave it time to go away, I guess," I said with a lopsided smile.

"But it doesn't go away, does it? It just…fades?"

"Yeah," I admitted. "How do you know so much about this, anyway? You sound like you've been there."

"Well, I didn't want this to be about me, but if it helps..." He took a deep breath. "I'm a widower as well."

I blinked at him. "Seriously?"

He nodded solemnly. "About twenty-five, thirty years ago now. Lost my Jessica to breast cancer."

"Damn," I grunted, then remembered my visitor's job. "Oh…sorry."

"Don't worry about it," he said, waving a hand. "You have other things to worry about right now."

"Yeah, I guess," I said as I caught myself rubbing my right shoulder.

He smiled at me a moment longer, then seemed to catch himself. "Well, listen; I mainly just came in to say 'hi', but if there's anything I can do to help you…"

"What's a chaplain do, anyway?"

He exhaled through his lips. "Well, the main thing we do is pray for those who need it…or ask for it."

"So you're like a priest?"

"Sort of. I'll admit that I don't know what priests over here do; you'd think I'd learn after twenty-five years of ministry," he said with an embarrassed chuckle, "but I pray on behalf of those who, for whatever reason, can't pray themselves."

"What religion are you?"

"I'm Christian," he replied easily. "Pastor Jeff Ashton; call me whatever you want, as long as it's not a profanity."

I burst out laughing at his words. "You're not like any priest I've ever seen, that's for sure."

"Happy to disappoint," he replied with a wink. "Anyway, I mainly pray for people who need it, but I've also shared the Gospel – that's God's good news – to anyone who asks."

"That's nice of you," I said. "You don't shove it down people's throats, then?"

"Nope," he said. "That's one of the quickest ways to turn people off to the Gospel. It's free to those who want to hear. If they don't, I respect that; Jesus respected it, after all."

"That's nice of you," I repeated, not sure what else to say.

"Anyway, like I said; I'm just here to say 'hi' and see if there's anything I can do for you."

I mulled this over. "Nothing comes to mind at the moment, but it was nice meeting you, Ashton-sensei."

"Nice to meet you, too," he said with a slight bow. "Before I go; may I pray for you?"

"Couldn't hurt," I said, glancing over at my right shoulder and remembering how it ended up reinjured. "Maybe pray for my situation…which I can't tell you about."

"Were the police here to talk to you?" he asked with a look of concern. "Was your shoulder injured due to this…situation?"

"'Yes' to both."

"I'm so sorry," he said. "Even though I don't know the details, I can see that it's troubling you greatly."

"You could say that," I admitted.

He started to reach toward my good shoulder, but stopped himself. "Is it okay if I lay hands on you? The Bible says that's what Christians are supposed to do, so…"

I shrugged with my good shoulder. "Just don't touch my right shoulder or anyplace weird."

He chuckled lightly. "I'll behave." He then placed his hands on me, one on my left shoulder, the other he lifted palm upward, to my surprise. "Lord Jesus, I lift up Okazaki Tomoya-san to you. He's been injured, both in body and in spirit, and really needs your care. Please pour out you healing power; not just into his body, but also into his mind and soul. Strengthen him for what lies ahead, and let him know that you are with him, regardless of the trials ahead. Give him peace and clear thinking in this trial. Let these things be done in your name." he lowered his raised hand, and I felt the pressure from his other hand decrease as he released me. "It's okay to ask for miracles," he told me. "Just don't expect them in your time, okay?"

"O-Okay," I replied, awed by the intensity and emotion of his prayer.

"God be with you," he said with another bow before heading to the door and out, gently closing it behind him, leaving me alone…but, oddly enough, not feeling alone.

* * *

I put down my magazine as the door opened again, and Ryou stuck her head in the room. "I'm here to replenish your medication," she announced.

"Good," I replied. "I was starting to feel thirsty."

She giggled behind her hand before looking over her shoulder. "You can come in, too." She then entered my room, and my jaw nearly dropped as the entire Hiiragi family plus Kyou followed her in.

"Hey, Tomoya," Kyou greeted.

"Heeeeyyyy," I greeted. "Man, it's good to see you!"

"Okazaki!" Kappei boomed in his typical style as he reached for my hand. "What have you done to yourself this time?"

"Kappei!" Ryou scolded. "You're in a hospital, remember? And Tomoya-san's a current patient!"

"Sorry, sorry," he said as he shook my left hand. "Hey, sorry about your injury. How're you feeling?"

"Drugged," I said, causing Kyou, Kappei, and Tadashi to chuckle, while Mika looked concerned. "From what I've heard, I was pretty loud when they brought me in, so I've been on pain juice ever since."

"'Pain juice'," Ryou giggled. "You're so funny, Tomoya-san."

"Hey, what about me?" Kappei protested. "I can be funny too, right?"

"Yes, Dad," Mika said timidly. "But Okazaki-sama is in pain right now, and needs the encouragement."

"Ouch!" he exclaimed, grabbing at his chest. "Even my own children!"

All I could do was shake my head at the exchange as Kyou laughed. "Kappei, it's good to see you again."

"Thanks," he said, dropping the drama. "And, seriously, I'm sorry you're in pain. I hope you recover quickly."

"Thanks."

"We'll try not to stay too long," Kyou said as her sister worked on removing my empty bag. "We just came here so Kappei could say 'hi' and I could make fun of you."

"Not now, Kyou," I said. "I've got too much on my mind right now."

"Does it have to do with Shio-chan?"

"Yeah," I said, nodding. "I can't say much, but you were right; more than you know."

"I'm so sorry," she said with a look of sympathy. "I hope she's all right."

"She's with Nagisa's parents," I told her. "She should be fine for now."

"I wish you could tell us what happened," Ryou said, "but I understand you can't say anything since the police are involved."

"The police?" Mika exclaimed. "Is it that bad?"

"I hope not," I said.

"Once they get all the facts, they'll see you're not a bad guy," Tadashi said, surprising me.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," I said to the fifteen-year-old. "It's nice to know that someone believes in me."

"We all believe in you," Ryou said as she finished replacing my IV bag. "There! You're all set!"

"Thanks."

"You're quite welcome," she said, smiling down at me. "You'll be happy to know that the doctor has decided that you don't need as high a dosage, so you should be able to think more clearly now."

"That's good to hear," I said, then realized: "Wow, three times in one day, huh?"

"They may have overestimated how much you'd need," she said with a light blush. "I'm sorry."

"Not your fault," I said. "My shoulder actually hasn't felt this good in…I don't know how long."

"Oh! That's right!" she chirped. "I've been told that the doctors should be in to see you in about an hour."

That's right; I'd forgotten about that. "Okay…wait, more than one doctor?"

She nodded briskly. "That's right; Doctor Fujibayashi, your physician, along with Doctors Mori and Miyamoto."

"Fujibayashi, huh? Any relation?"

"None that I'm aware of," she replied with a shake of her head.

"Well, thanks for letting me know in any case," I said.

"We'd better get out of here, kids," Kappei said, redirecting everyone's attention. "It'll be dinnertime by the time we get home, and your mom needs space to finish up…and you both have school tomorrow."

"Yes, Dad," Tadashi replied while Mika appeared to study me.

"Will you be able to have dinner with your family?" I asked Ryou.

"Yup!" she chirped. "You're my last patient for the day!"

"I'm glad that works out for you, then," I said. "Enjoy your time with your family."

"Mom? Dad? Could I talk to Okazaki-sama for just a minute?" Mika requested.

Kappei and his wife exchanged a brief glance. "Sure, we have a couple of minutes before your mom's ready to go," he said, stopping just inside the door.

"A-Alone?"

Kappei and Ryou exchanged another glance. "I…I suppose," he said, clearly surprised by the request. "We'll be right outside."

As the door clicked shut behind the rest of the Hiiragi family, Mika approached my bedside. "Are…Are you okay?"

"I've been better," I replied.

"Is…Is it true that the police talked to you?"

"Yeah."

"Did…Did Ushio do something bad that hurt you?"

I sighed, unsure how to answer her question. "Yes…and no. I really can't say any more than that."

I saw her gently bite her lower lip. "I'm…sorry you're having to deal with all this. I…I hope things get better for you, real soon." She cautiously reached out and patted my arm. "You're a good man, Okazaki-sama. Have a good day."

"Thanks. You, too," I said, chuckling lightly.

She didn't return my smile, but took a step back and bowed before turning and leaving my room.

"What a nice family…" I said to the empty room.

* * *

"We have a proposal for you, Okazaki-san," Dr. Fujibayashi said while the others looked on. "Your particular injury provides us with an…opportunity to try a new medical technique."

"What, for my shoulder?" I asked as I looked at the place in question.

He nodded solemnly. "We see a lot of shoulder injuries, but not many as severe as yours." He exchanged a look with the other doctors before continuing. "Not to sound condescending, but you wouldn't understand all the specifics. However, I can tell you that it would involve a targeted freezing of the damaged tissue, quickly followed by a stimulation of the surrounding tissue to…encourage growth of replacement tissue."

"You can do that?" I asked, astounded.

"Not yet," he said with a gentle smile. "But, with your help we could come at least one step closer."

"We're amazed at some of the things we can do with 2021 medical technology," Dr. Miyamoto, an older man with graying hair said, "but shoulder injuries have been a bane due to their lack of bone."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"You shoulder mainly consists of muscle connected to large tendons," Dr. Mori said. "While there are bones in there, they're rather loosely connected, which allows for the wide range of movement."

"The downside is that they're vulnerable to dislocation," my physician added. "Which, based on our studies of your right shoulder, appears to have happened. In fact, it appears you dislocated it a long time ago; is that true?"

I thought for a moment. "About thirty years ago, yeah."

"This is perfect!" Dr. Mori exclaimed, addressing the other doctors. "An older injury with damage to the infraspinatus as well as the coracoacromial? This is almost a godsend!"

An image of the chaplain flashed through my mind. "I don't get everything you're saying here, but…what would the risks be?"

The mood of the room suddenly dropped. "You…could lose all use of your right arm," Dr. Fujibayashi said. "Understand; in order to potentially fix your shoulder, we would have to damage it further, in a manner of speaking. We'd be freezing the damaged tissue, effectively killing it."

"How is that bad?" I asked.

"Even though it's damaged, it's still being used to support your shoulder," Dr. Mori explained. "Once it's frozen, though, it's gone and you lose the support."

"For what it's worth, you'd be compensated for your time," Dr. Miyamoto said. "And you wouldn't be charged for the surgery since it will be a contribution to research."

"In the event that you did lose the use of your arm," Dr. Fujibayashi added, "you'd receive a small stipend every month for the rest of your life."

"Small consolation," I grunted. "But…"

"Take some time to think about it," Dr. Fujibayashi said, patting my good shoulder. "This isn't a decision to be taken lightly, to be sure."

"How long to I have to decide?" I asked.

"Until you're discharged," Dr. Mori answered. "Should you opt for the surgery, you'll be staying longer, of course."

"All right, doc," I said. "I'll give it some thought. Will the investigation be an issue?"

"No," Dr. Fujibayashi replied. "Not to unfairly influence your decision, but I will say that choosing to help us will help to show good character."

"Fair enough," I grunted. "I'll think about it."

"We appreciate it, Okazaki-san," Dr. Mori said as the three of them bowed informally. "We look forward to your decision."

As they left my room I resettled into my pillow; I had a lot of stuff to deal with, and a lot of thinking to do…


	11. Decisions

**Chapter Eleven: Decisions**

I grunted awake as I heard the door click open, and my eyes flickered open as I looked over to see Pops and Sanae enter my room…followed by Ushio. "Good morning, Tomoya," Sanae greeted.

A quick glance at the clock told me she'd be right for a few more minutes. "Good morning Sanae-san, Pops," I returned. I then allowed my gaze to settle on my daughter. "Good morning, sweetie."

"G-Good m-morning," she greeted as her grandparents moved to my bedside; she, however, remained near the door. "How…How are you feeling?"

"A little woozy, but I just woke up," I told her. "Otherwise, I feel fine."

"Have they lowered your pain medication any further?" Sanae asked as she played with my hair, apparently trying to fix it.

"Not as far as I know," I replied. "I'm down to about a third of what they were giving me when I first came in, though."

"That's good."

"So, how much longer you going to be in here, brat?" Pops asked.

I was about to tell them that I didn't know until it hit me: "Hey, I'd like to know what you think about something."

"What is it?" Sanae asked as I saw Ushio slowly approaching.

I took a deep breath and gave myself a moment to remember my conversation with the doctors. "They want to try some new procedure on me; they think it might help heal my shoulder."

"Really?" she gasped. "That would be wonderful!"

"How's that supposed to work?" Pops asked, narrowing his eyes.

"I guess they freeze the damaged tissue and then somehow make my body make more to replace it."

"'I guess'?"

"That's my best understanding," I admitted. "My doctor told me that I wouldn't understand all the details… Which would make sense since it's experimental." I looked up at my in-laws with my best 'Well?' expression. "What do you think?"

Sanae's eyes lost focus as she appeared to ponder my question. "Well…I'd feel a lot better about it if I knew more about it."

"Sorry," I said. "I've told you everything I understood."

"Don't worry, brat," Pops wheezed. "We don't expect you to understand much."

"Akio-san!" Sanae scolded. "Please wait until he's out of the hospital!"

"Sorry," he grunted. "Force of habit."

"I'm not sure what to say," Sanae admitted. "After all, I am not the one who would have to live with the consequences of your decision, so I'm uncomfortable giving my opinion."

"I understand," I told her. "I'm not asking you to decide for me; I just want to know if you can think of anything I might be missing in the process."

"Well…" she said thoughtfully, "I guess it would depend on whether you're willing to risk losing the use of your arm. It's your dominant one, right?"

"Right."

"On the one hand, you have partial mobility…but, on the other, you have a chance to have complete mobility along with a chance of having no mobility." She shrugged with a small smile. "I guess it would depend on how much of a gambler you are."

"None," I said. "I was a good smoker and drinker for about five years, though. " I winced as I saw Ushio flinch at my statement, and I realized that it may have hurt her.

"Shio-chan," Pops said as he turned to his granddaughter, "what do you think?"

My poor little girl stood there with a deer-in-the-headlights expression. Then her eyes settled on me. "I…I'd like Daddy to have his arm back. I'd like him to be able to reach up like he should be able to."

"But what if he lost the use of his arm?" Sanae asked carefully.

Ushio swallowed hard. "I'd…want to take care of him, of course."

Her words warmed and chilled my heart at the same time; warmed due to her care for me, chilled due to the way she had tried to take care of me a few mornings prior.

"I mean, he's my dad, and I love him, and I'd hate for him to be alone and unable to take care of himself," she added.

"Eh, he'd just have to get used to using his left arm," Pops said.

"That's…true," she admitted, though it looked like she wanted to say more. "But…no one should have to go through that, and…he's my daddy."

"Well, at least you know you're cared about," Sanae said with a smile that nearly glowed.

Just then, there was a knock at the door. "Come in," I called. Then, my stomach slithered into the bed as the officers from the other day entered.

"Good afternoon, Okazaki-san," the taller one greeted. "Ah, good; you're both here."

"Do you need us to leave?" Sanae asked.

"It's fine," the shorter cop said. "This works out great, in fact."

"I'm Officer Ueno, and this is Officer Oshiro," she taller cop said, thankfully refreshing my memory. "You'll be happy to know that nobody's being charged with any wrongdoing."

I could swear the room cooled with our collective sigh of relief.

"However…" Oshiro added, "…it's been decided that your daughter should stay with her grandparents pending the completion of a set of counseling sessions."

"Counseling?" Pops exclaimed. "What for?"

"I think I know," I said, drawing everyone's attention. "My family has some issues due to the lack of a mother, is that it?"

"Close enough," Officer Ueno said. "Unfortunately, there's only one priest with training in counseling in this prefecture. Fortunately, though, you've already met him."

My brow furrowed. "I have? Who?"

Officer Ueno turned to his partner. "You say it; you know my English is terrible."

"Good grief," Officer Oshiro grunted as he stepped up beside his partner. "He's the hospital chaplain; Ashton Jeff."

I blinked as I settled back into my pillow a little more. "I guess I'm pretty lucky, then. Maybe I should talk to him about my shoulder situation, too."

"He seems like a nice man," Sanae remarked. "I'm sure he could help you."

"In order to start the counseling sessions for you and your daughter, we'll need to share some of the case information with Ashton-sensei," Ueno told me. "Is that going to be a problem?"

I sighed heavily. "Well, if that's what I have to do to get my daughter back, then I don't see much of a choice. Go ahead; share whatever you need to."

"Thank you," he said, pulling out his tablet computer to poke at it. "We'll connect with him as soon as we're done here; he'll probably stop by later today to set up the first session."

"Sounds good," I said, starting to feel fatigue overtake me as I looked over at my daughter. "Ushio? Could you come here, please?"

I saw the deer-in-the-headlights look on her face again as she slowly approached the side of my bed not occupied by my in-laws. "Y-Yes, Daddy?"

I reached out to her and, as the officers watched carefully, she let me take her hand. "Ushio?" I looked into her terrified eyes, and felt a wave of compassion for my poor, broken doll. "Ushio; I forgive you."

I heard her breath catch in her throat before it started to quicken, her chest heaving as tears welled up in her eyes. "Oh Daddy, I'm so sorry!" she cried as she leaned down to bury her face in my chest. "I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry!"

Some small part of me considered the possibility that our first counseling session had already begun.

* * *

I put down my magazine as the door opened, and I smiled as Kyou came in the room. "Hello, Kyou," I greeted. "Just you today?"

"Just me," she confirmed with a grin as she sat by the head of my bed. "Everyone else is either at school or at work. By the way, I saw Ryou out in the hall, and she said she'd be by to replace your bag in a few minutes."

I reflexively glanced up at my supply and, sure enough, it was starting to run a little low. "Did she say anything about my dosage?"

"No," she replied, her purple lengths waving with the shake of her head, and I noticed that the gray at her temples was completely gone. "She just wanted me to tell you she'd be here in a bit."

"Okay, thanks."

She ran her fingers through her hair several times, and her expression told me that she had a question, but wasn't sure how to say it. "Listen, um…"

"What's up?"

"How's Shio-chan doing?" She twirled a lock of hair as she asked, this, and I realized that she was really asking what had happened.

So, I sighed heavily. "It's fine for me to tell you now; the investigation is done and no one's going to jail or anything."

"That's a relief."

I wiped my nose with the back of my hand as I stared at the foot of my bed. "I'm not really comfortable getting into the details, but I can say that you were right; she was practicing to become…my wife."

I was hardly surprised to hear her gasp, and I looked up to see an expression of shock on her face. "T-Tomoya…? How did your shoulder get re…reinjured?"

I gnawed on my lower lip briefly as I looked away; I couldn't face her with what I was about to say. "She…tried to…" I sighed heavily. "She tried to consummate a marriage with me. I tried to stop her, but I could only use my right arm, and…"

"Okay, I get the idea," she said, her voice sounding strained. "God, I think I'm gonna hurl."

"I have a bedpan, if you need it," I half-joked; I'd almost had to use it a few times myself whenever I remembered. "Seriously; use it if you need to."

"Where is it?"

I reached to the other side of my bed and grabbed the pan and handed it over to her. "Use only in case of emergency," I said with a grin.

"Thanks."

There was a knock at the door, and Ryou came in with a full IV bag. "Good afternoon, Tomoya-san. I'm here to replace your IV."

"Thanks," I said. "Hey, aren't you going to say 'hi' to your sister? She's right here…mostly."

"I told you I talked to her on my way in, didn't I?" Kyou reminded me. "She told me she'd be coming along to replace your bag."

"Oh, right," I murmur from embarrassment. "Forgot."

"You're lucky I'm too nauseous to make fun of you," she grunted.

"What's the matter, Kyou?" Ryou asked as she removed the empty IV bag.

"I told her what happened," I answered while giving her a meaningful look.

Her mouth formed a silent 'Ah' as she worked on attaching the new bag.

"Did you tell her already?" Kyou asked, still looking a little green.

"You actually the first person I've told," I said. "I figured you should know because of your…" I looked up as I searched for the right word. "…suspicions."

Kyou took a turn at forming a silent 'Ah'. "Thanks, Tomoya; I'm sorry you had to deal with that."

"We're going to be seeing a counselor," I told her. "Apparently this hospital's chaplain has a counseling degree?"

Kyou blinked as a smile crept across her face. "Ashton-sensei?"

I blinked in return. "Yeah. How did you know?"

She squirmed in her seat for nearly a full minute before answering. "He's…the guy I was talking about the other day… You know, when all of us came over?"

"Really?!" We jumped at Ryou's sudden outburst and looked over to see her with eyes wider than usual. "I didn't know that!"

"We're just friends right now," Kyou remarked, "so he probably wouldn't have seen any reason to tell anyone."

"But you're clearly taken with him," Ryou observed as she headed around the foot of my bed to stand in front of her sister. "I don't think I've ever seen you this happy."

"I was, once," Kyou admitted. "It's been…a long time, though."

"Well, good for you," I said. "I hope things work out all right for you. By the way, are you okay with his religion?"

"So far," she said with a light blush. "I'll admit I haven't learned much about it, but it can't be that different from any of the others."

"Well, if he turns out to be…weird, you run and don't look back," I told her. "I don't want you losing another decade to another control freak."

"Yes, Dad," she replied while sticking her tongue out at me while her sister giggled.

"Well," I said with a sigh, "at least I'll have a chance to find out what kind of guy he is."

"Why's that?" Ryou asked.

"He'll be counseling Ushio and I," I told her. "Should give me plenty of time to figure out if he's a creep or not." I looked over to my old sparring partner. "Seriously, Kyou; I'll let you know what I find out, okay?"

"Thanks, Tomoya; I really appreciate it. Really."

"H-How's the job situation?" I asked, uncomfortable with her gratitude.

"Slow," she sighed, and I felt bad for bringing down her mood. "So much has changed in the last ten years that…" She shook her head sadly. "I'm just thinking that I might be obsolete."

"That's not true!" Ryou exclaimed, nearly up in her sister's face. "You still love kids, don't you? You still want to teach, don't you?"

"Well, yeah, but…" she gestured helplessly. "It took me so long to earn my teaching degree n the first place, and I've been out-of-touch for so long that…" She gestured helplessly again.

"Sounds rough," I murmured sympathetically.

"I think I understand," Ryou said sadly. "If the curriculum's changed a lot, then…"

"…it could be really hard to catch up," I finished. "I still think you should try though; giving up just doesn't sound like you, especially after all you've been through." A flash of insight. "Are you going to let Hagane run the rest of your life, too?"

Kyou's jaw dropped with her look of shock. "NO! That bastard's taken enough from me!" She jumped to her feet, one of her hands balled into a fist. "I'll show him! I'll show him! I'll learn what I have to and become a kindergarten teacher again!"

"You can do it!" Ryou exclaimed before suddenly blushing. "I'm sorry; I have to go. I have other patients to take care of."

"Okay, Ryou. Thanks," I said as she made her way to the door. As she left I looked back to Kyou, who still stood with a look of determination and a balled fist. "You've got a lot on your plate, huh? Ashton-sensei and your career?"

Her expression softened as she dropped her fist and looked at me. "Yeah…I guess I do, don't I?"

I smiled warmly. "Well, for what it's worth, I believe you can do it."

"Thanks," she said, settling back into her seat. She then gave me an impish grin. "I hope I didn't scare you."

"I'm fine," I told her. "You startled me, sure, but I'm glad to see you fired up."

There was another quiet knock at the door before it opened to reveal the hospital chaplain. "Good after-oh, hey!" he greeted with a broad smile on his face as he saw my other guest. "If, uh, this is a bad time, I can come back later."

"Naw, I should be taking off, anyway," Kyou replied. "I need to get back home and do my chores."

"Chores?" I echoed. "How old are you again?"

"None of your business," she said with a smile and a flip of her purple lengths. "Besides, it's rude to ask a lady her age."

"So…how old are you again?" I repeated with a grin.

"I'm ignoooring youuuu…" she said as she turned to the chaplain with a huge smile. "Ashton-san, it's good to see you again."

"You too, Kyou-san," he greeted with a smile of his own. "I'd love to chat, but I'm here for Okazaki-san."

"Who?"

"Don't get me involved in your spat," he chuckled. "I need to keep things professional right now."

"Oh all right, you big killjoy," she complained while giving his arm a gentle swat. "Can I call you later?"

He gave me an awkward glance. "This is hardly the time… Fine, I should be home by seven."

"Talk to you later, then!" she chirped before nearly skipping out the door.

He shook his head with another chuckle as he approached my bedside. "I'm sorry about that, Okazaki-san; if I'd known she'd act like that I would have come back later."

"Don't worry about it," I grunted. "I'm just glad that she's happy again."

"What do you mean by 'happy again'?" he asked with a puzzled look as he settled into the seat by my bed.

I gave him a puzzled look of my own. "Didn't she tell you her situation?"

"We…haven't talked a whole lot, so there's a bit I don't know about her."

"Then maybe I should keep it to myself," I said. "It's not my story to tell."

"I understand," he said, starting to look worried.

"It's not as bad as you seem to think," I quickly added. "It's just that she's… See, she and I are old friends, from back in high school, and she…well, she hasn't been treated very well lately."

"I'm assuming that you're talking about someone other than yourself?"

"Yeah," I nodded. "I got to hear all the gory details, so to speak. Just…be nice to her, okay?"

"No problem," he replied with a smile. "I'll be sure to treat her with kid gloves for now. Thanks for telling me."

"You're welcome. So…"

"Yeah, I'm here about scheduling your first session," he said, pulling out his smart phone. "Would you be okay with having it here if they end up keeping you longer?"

"That'd be fine," I replied. "In fact, that reminds me; I wanted to get your opinion on something."

"I'd be happy to give you my opinion," he said with a quirky smile, and I couldn't help but chuckle. "What's up?"

I took a moment to gather my thoughts. "The hospital would like to try an…experimental technique on my shoulder to see if they can heal it," I explained. "See, I injured it pretty badly shortly before starting high school, but…well, for reasons I don't need to go into, I didn't try to get it treated."

"Okay…"

"Well, this recent…incident reinjured it, and the docs would like to try a new medical technique on it to see if they can fix it."

"Since this is experimental, I would assume that there's a risk?"

"Yeah. If I understand correctly, they're going to kill the damaged stuff then try to make my body fix it."

"Meaning…?"

"If it fails, I could end up losing the use of my right arm completely. At least now I can use it a little bit; I just can't lift it more than halfway."

His posture slouched slightly to match his look of concern. "I could see that being an issue."

"Yeah…"

"Well, could you live without the use of your right arm?"

"I could, but…"

To his credit, he didn't try to jump in.

"…it's just that…every time I've gotten something good in life, it's always been taken away from me in some way. First it was my mom dying when I was really young, then it was injuring my shoulder after getting into Hikarizaka on a basketball scholarship…"

"That was a strength of yours, I assume?"

"Yeah. So that was taken from me. Then, when I'd pretty much given up on life, Nagisa came into it and gave me a reason to not give up. Then she died giving birth to Ushio, so I lost that happiness, too."

"You've had a rough life," he said sympathetically.

"And then, finally, I got my daughter back at age five, and then…" I lifted my arms, then let them fall back onto the bad.

"So if I understand you correctly, you're assuming that this surgery will end up taking away part of your mobility."

"Exactly."

He leaned back in his seat as he sighed heavily. "Well I guess I could understand why you'd have a fatalistic attitude."

"Yeah; I feel like the world's diaper," I snorted.

He barked out a laugh before catching himself. "Sorry about that; I'm not trying to minimize your pain."

I shrugged with my good shoulder. "Hey, I'm the one who made the joke."

"True," he said with an expression of mirth. "Still…that's a sad place to be; expecting that life will always give you a raw deal." He nibbled on his lower lip as he appeared to study me. "Have you considered that this surgery might be an opportunity for you? Not only that, but that the chances of having Japan's only counselor as your hospital chaplain are pretty slim?"

I'd never thought of it and admitted as much. "But how do I know that the surgery will help me?"

"You don't," he admitted, "but it seems like, based on what you've told me, it'd be more likely that you'd lose your daughter completely rather than have this opportunity to keep her in your life."

I thought back to when I'd assumed that the police would arrest me when they first arrived. "That's true; I guess I've always unconsciously believed that I've been living on borrowed time. Or happiness, really."

"Okazaki-san, I'm so sorry that you've gone through what you have," he said, and his expression told me that he meant every word. "I don't why life seems to have given you a raw deal, but I'd like to help you as much as I can."

"Can your god heal my shoulder?" I asked as I remembered his job.

"He can," he replied easily, "but he uses a variety of avenues to work his miracles."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I have seen evidence that he'll heal through direct intervention, but he'll also give knowledge to people that allow them to perform amazing feats."

"Like what?"

"Like giving a fellow the knowledge to create a device that will allow a carriage to move without any horses."

"But a human created the first engine, didn't he?" I countered; I was starting to find the conversation interesting.

"He did, true," the chaplain conceded, "but he didn't create the elements needed for the construction of the engine; in fact, no human did."

"Okay."

"And as far as the knowledge; he couldn't have been the source of the knowledge, or he wouldn't have had to discover it, would he?"

I had to concede that point as well.

"So, if he discovered it, then the knowledge must have been there before him so he could discover it; it 'preexisted' him."

"You're starting to lose me here," I told him. "Can you keep it simple?"

"My point is that God had to have either given him the knowledge or set up the circumstances that would allow him to discover it." He shrugged with his hands. "I'll admit that there are a few assumptions in there, but I don't think you'd want to hear the whole explanation."

"You're right," I admitted; his explanation sounded feasible, at least. "So, are you suggesting that going through with the surgery could give your god the chance to fix me?"

"It's certainly possible."

"So, why should I believe that he would?" I argued, suddenly feeling resentful. "He let all this crap happen to me; why wouldn't he just let me lose my arm?"

"I can't say for sure," he admitted. "All I can say is that I suspect that people made choices involved in each of the circumstances, and they ended up having a negative effect on you."

I was surprised by his honest answer. "I guess my shoulder wouldn't have been injured if my dad hadn't chosen to fight with me," I conceded.

He nodded but otherwise said nothing.

I sighed heavily. "You know, part of me wants to say 'the hell with it', but another part of me keeps telling me to give it another chance."

"So, what do you think?" he prompted.

I sighed again. "I don't know; part of me thinks that this is too good to be true, so it'll fail."

"That's understandable."

"But part of me still hopes…"

"Maybe that part of you believes that life isn't supposed to be the way you've been led to believe," he suggested.

"That could be," I admitted.

He studied me for a moment longer. "Okazaki-san, I'm going to be praying for you. I can see that you have a very tough decision to make, one that's been made more difficult by your history." He clapped me on my good shoulder a couple of times. "You know I can't make this decision for you; you're the one who has to live with the consequences, for better or for worse."

"I know," I said, suddenly feeling very tired.

"For now, I'm going to leave you to your thoughts, but I'll be back tomorrow so we can talk again if you need to." He got up from his seat and studied me yet again. "Do you mind if I pray for you before I go?"

"Go ahead." What harm could his prayer do, anyway?

He laid his hand on my arm. "Lord Jesus, I'm back again to lift up Okazaki Tomoya. You know the challenges he's faced, and you know the challenges he will face. Please give him wisdom as he makes this very difficult decision. But, more than that, give him the peace he's needed all his life and let him know that you really do care about him." He took his hand from my arm and looked me in the eye. "May the Lord bless you richly, Okazaki Tomoya."

"Th-Thanks," I replied, feeling a little overwhelmed by the intensity in his gaze.

He gave a formal bow and then left, the door quietly clicking shut behind him.


	12. Operational Theater

**Chapter Twelve: Operational Theater**

I was looking out my window, watching a flock of birds fly past when my attention was diverted as the door clicked open, and I smiled at the sight of Dr. Fujibayashi entering my room, followed by Drs. Mori and Miyamoto. I had given their proposal a lot of thought, before and after a good night's sleep, and I had come to a decision. "Morning, docs."

"Good morning, Okazaki-san," Dr. Fujibayashi said as he stopped by the head of my bed, the others gathering at the foot. "Do I understand correctly that you've decided?"

"Yes, sir," I replied. "I've decided to go for it. I figure that, even if it fails, I'll at least have helped others down the road."

He smiled warmly as he rested a hand on my shoulder. "Thank you, Okazaki-san; thank you so very much. I…We…can't tell you how much this means to us," he said, indicating his coworkers.

"When should I be ready for the surgery?" I asked.

"This afternoon, unless it would be inconvenient for you," Dr. Mori answered. "We've had the equipment set up for quite a while, now; we've just been waiting for a candidate, if you'll forgive the term."

"No, I understand," I tried to reassure him. "This afternoon should be fine. I'll just need to let everyone know so they don't try to visit."

"We'll let you know about an hour in advance of the procedure," Dr. Fujibayashi said, then gestured to the phone next to my bed. "If you need to get a message to me, just dial '24'. Otherwise, you can use the phone to call your family and friends to update them."

"Do I need to dial anything special to call outside?"

"Just a '7' before the phone number," Dr. Miyamoto told me.

"All right," I said. "Hey, could I get you to move the phone a little bit?"

"Of course." After Dr. Fujibayashi moved the phone to where I could better reach it he asked, "Before we go; do you have any questions for us?"

"I can't think of any, but could I call you if I think of something?"

"Of course," he repeated. "Now, if you will excuse us, we have a surgery to prepare for."

"Don't let me keep you," I said with a smile. "See you later."

As the doctors left the room, I looked over at the phone before carefully reaching over to pick it up. I wasn't sure I remembered Mom and Dad's phone number, so it took me a couple of tries and apologies before I finally heard a familiar voice. _"Hello?"_

"Hi, Mom."

" _Tomoya-san!"_ she squealed. _"Oh, it's so_ _good_ _to hear from you again! Kyou told me that your shoulder was injured again. Are you doing okay?"_

"I'm doing fine, all things considered. They've been drugging away the pain, but… Listen, I'm sorry to ask, but could you let Kyou and Ryou and her family know that I'll be going in for surgery later today? I'd call them myself, but I don't have their numbers memorized anymore."

" _I_ _told_ _you that you rely on that phone too much,"_ she said in a mock-scolding tone.

"Yeah Mom, I know," I chuckled. "Would you be willing?"

" _I'll do it this time, young man, but the next time you end up in the hospital you're on your own,"_ she 'huffed'.

"Thanks," I said. "And if there's any way you could let Ushio know, she's staying with Nagisa's parents at Furukawa Bakery."

" _I'll see what I can do. So, you say you're going in for surgery?"_

"That's right. They're hoping to fix my shoulder by freezing the damaged tissue and then making my body replace it…or something like that."

" _Now that you mention it, Ryu was talking about something similar to that a few months ago. He said the doctors were waiting for a candidate."_

"Well, I guess they got one," I told her. "There's a chance I could lose the rest of my arm's mobility, but I figure it's worth the risk."

" _From what I understand, volunteers are compensated pretty handsomely, if that helps."_

"Yeah, the doctor mentioned that. I just want to do it to get my movement back and, if that fails, at least it won't be for nothing."

" _That's very generous of you,"_ she said. _"I wish we could instill your generosity in the next generation."_

"Th-Thanks," I stammered, uncomfortable with the praise. "A-Anyway, I'm supposed to go in sometime this afternoon."

" _Do you know what time?"_

"Sorry, no. They couldn't give me an exact time."

" _I see. Well, we'll do our best to let everyone know."_

"Thanks; I appreciate it."

" _Well, I'd better let you go; you have some preparing to do, don't you?"_

"Yes, ma'am," I said, smiling to myself.

" _Good boy. Good luck with your surgery, and Ryu and I will try to be there to see you when you're done."_

"Thanks Mom. See you later, then."

" _You, too. Bye for now."_

* * *

"They'll be here for you in about fifteen minutes, Tomoya-san," Ryou said as she disconnected my empty IV bag.

"Thanks, Ryou," I said. I felt kind of stupid for not thinking to ask her to tell everyone about my surgery. Oh, well… "Am I getting another drug bag, or am I just going to have to tough it before the surgery?"

"You're getting a replacement, don't worry," she giggled. "They'll change out your IV after they take you into the operating room."

"Good," I grunted. "I think I've yelled enough for the time being."

"Are you nervous?" she asked with humor in her tone.

"Not as much as I thought I would be, but yeah," I admitted. "It's neat that-"

I lost my thought as I heard a knock at the door. A moment later it opened, and Chaplain Ashton entered the room. "I just got word," he said, sounding slightly out of breath. "Man, this hospital is bigger than I thought!"

"Are you okay, Ashton-sensei?" Ryou asked with a giggle.

"I'll be fine, thanks," he puffed as he approached my bedside. "Right now, I'm more concerned about Okazaki-san. How are you feeling?"

"A little nervous," I admitted. "It's funny; I was just telling Ryou here that I'm nervous, but not as nervous as I thought I'd be."

"Does that mean you're at peace with your decision?" he asked as Ryou attached the new IV bag.

I had to think about that for a moment. "I'd never really thought about it that way, but…yeah, I guess I am." I thought about it a bit longer, then snorted. "It's not like I'm going to be doing much, anyway; I'll be unconscious."

"Well, do your best to be unconscious," he quipped with a serious expression and a pat to my arm. "I have faith in you."

I couldn't help but laugh at the ridiculousness of his statement. "I'll do my best." Then I thought I heard Ryou say something like 'Where are they?', drawing my attention. "Did you say something, Ryou?"

"Huh?" she squeaked with a blush. "I…I was just talking to myself. It's nothing bad; don't worry about it."

"Okay," I replied. "It's just that-"

I was interrupted yet again by another knock at the door, which then opened to reveal the rest of the Hiiragi family along with Kyou. "We got here as quickly as we could!" Kappei exclaimed; even though Kyou and the kids were gasping for breath, he didn't seem the slightest bit winded, a tribute to his former profession. "Are we too late?"

"I'm here," I said, raising my hand as the chaplain exchanged a smile with Kyou before moving to a nearby wall. "Hiiragi, good to see you again."

"Likewise, as always," he replied easily as he reached out to shake my hand; the gesture still took me some getting used to, especially with my left hand. "I was worried that getting the kids would make us miss you, so I'm glad everything worked out."

"Are you nervous, Okazaki-sama?" Mika asked with a worried look as she approached my bedside.

I chuckled at the thought of having to answer the same question over and over again. "I'm going to wait to answer that until they come to take me, okay? That way I can tell everyone at once."

"O-Okay," she said, wringing her hands.

"If I don't get the chance later, I'd like to wish you a successful surgery," Tadashi said with a polite bow; what a remarkable young man.

"Thanks, Tadashi-san," I replied, bowing my head the best I could from my somewhat prone position. "Did Mom and Dad get hold of you, then?"

"Naw," Kappei said with a shake of his head. "Ryou here called and told me about it."

"I thought you should be surrounded by friends before going into something so potentially life-changing," Ryou explained as she approached my bed opposite her family. "Please excuse me; I have to take care of other patients, but I'll be sure to stop by before they come to take you to the operating room."

"Thanks," I told her through a lump in my throat. "For…all this."

She gave me a kind smile. "You're very welcome." With that, she bowed before making her way to the door, closing it quietly behind her as she left.

"You'd better be grateful," Kyou said, apparently having finally caught her breath.

"I am," I replied indignantly. "Didn't you hear me thank her?"

"Yeah, but you didn't give me the chance to say that before you thanked her," she complained.

"That's because Okazaki-sama is a good man, Aunt Kyou," Tadashi stated as Mika nodded.

"You two stay out of this," Kyou mock-scolded as she wagged a finger at them. "And don't contradict your betters."

"Kyou…" Kappei said with a warning tone that contradicted his otherwise pleasant demeanor.

My old sparring partner simply 'humphed' before turning her attention back to me. "Anyway, Ryou worked really hard to make sure we could be here for you."

"Thank you for being here for me," I said before she could go on.

She froze with her mouth open before taking an irritated expression. "Dammit Tomoya, you're making it too hard for me to tease you."

"As it should be," Chaplain Ashton said, making his presence known again. "Are you planning on having any more guests?"

"I wasn't planning on these!" I exclaimed with a chuckle. "Maybe I should've asked Ryou that!"

There was another knock at the door, and we all looked at each other before laughing as Kappei headed over to open the door. "Okazaki, looks like family's here!"

"Oh, my!" I heard Sanae gush. "Are you friends of Tomoya-san?"

"Yes, ma'am," Kappei replied. "Hiiragi Kappei; it's nice to meet you."

"What about me?" a familiar voice complained as Pops followed her through the door. "It's nice to meet me too, right?"

"Of course, sir," Kappei replied, reaching out to give his typical handshake.

"Furukawa Akio."

My heart leaped as I heard Kappei greet my next visitor: "Shio-chan! Hi!"

"H-Hello, Hiiragi-san." She was always a little intimidated by his enthusiasm. "It's good to see you again."

"This room's starting to get full," Chaplain Ashton remarked.

"My, so many people," I heard another voice say, and I felt a chill as my old man entered the room. I hadn't seen him in years, and I'd never thought that I'd see him again. I'd never thought to visit him, and Ushio never asked, so he had basically vanished from my life.

I eyed him cautiously as he approached my bedside. "Hello," I said, more formally than I meant to.

"Hello," he returned, and I was surprised that he didn't call me 'Tomoya-kun'; I'd always hated that, almost as much as I hated him…at least, when I thought about him. "I heard that you were having surgery today, and wanted to be here for you."

"Thank you," I said stiffly. "Who told you about it?"

"I did," Pops said as he moved to Naoyuki's side. "Ushio thought he should know, and Sanae and I agreed."

"It's been a long time," my old man said as he appeared to study me. "How have you been? Other than your present circumstance, that is?"

"Fine."

"Okazaki-san," Chaplain Ashton interjected, "why are you talking to your father like that?"

I shifted my gaze to his concerned face. "This is the guy who busted my shoulder back when I was in middle school." I heard several gasps in the room, but I didn't care; the guy had wrecked my chances of a basketball career, and I wasn't feeling too charitable at the moment. "I'm hoping this surgery will undo what he did."

"What you both did," he said gently. "It takes two to fight."

"Whatever," I grumbled.

"Tomoya, you're sounding like a child," Kyou scolded.

"I…can see that my presence here is going to be a problem," the old man said as he left my bedside and headed for the door. "I'll just be on my way."

The door had barely clicked shut before Kyou whirled on me with angry eyes. "You're a real asshole, you know that?"

"Mind your own business, Kyou," I snapped.

"Please," the chaplain said with his hands raised, "I'm sure there's more to this than any of us know about, so please show Okazaki-san some grace."

"Why should we?" Kyou challenged.

"Because we haven't lived his life, gone through what he's gone through," Chaplin Ashton replied calmly. "I said what I did only because it's a general truism."

Kyou scoffed, but relented. "Fine."

"I admit that I'm alarmed at your behavior," Sanae said, looking at me with worried eyes. "But the chaplain is right; I don't know enough about you to say anything."

"I'm sorry, Daddy," Ushio said, her voice barely above a whisper as she approached me. "I didn't mean to ruin your day; I really thought it'd be good for Grandpa Okazaki to be here, to support you."

I looked around at the concerned expressions on everyone's faces, then looked down in shame. "I'm sorry, everybody; I shouldn't have acted that way. My problems with him are my problems, and I shouldn't have aired them in front of you."

"Humph," Pops grunted as he headed toward the door. "I'll be right back."

"Okazaki-sama? Don't you love your dad?" Mika asked with worried eyes as the door closed. "Didn't he take care of you when you were a boy?"

"Now is not the time for that discussion," Chaplain Ashton said carefully. "We are here to support him as he goes in for surgery, not to…" He paused, as though trying to find the right words. "…cause him more stress."

"You're right, sir," Tadashi said. "Let's hope for a successful surgery and a speedy recovery."

"Thanks, Tadashi," I said, warmed by his words.

"I hope for a successful surgery, too," Mika said from next to her dad, who nodded.

"You've got this, Okazaki," he added with a cocky grin. "You'll do just fine." He then looked over at his sister-in-law with a meaningful look.

"I'm still going to be mad at you, Tomoya," Kyou finally huffed, "but I hope everything turns out okay."

"Thanks, Kyou," I said. "Thanks for wanting the best for me even though I pissed you off."

She simply 'humphed' as she crossed her arms, causing the Hiiragi children to chuckle quietly.

The air of tension was broken by the sound of the door nearly slamming open. "Is he here?" I heard the booming voice of Fujibayashi Ryu bellow as he and Mom hurried into the room.

"Right here, Dad," I said, raising my hand.

"'Dad'?," the chaplain echoed.

"There's a bit of a story behind that," I said as Dad and Mom Fujibayashi made their way through the growing crowd to my bed. "Looks like you did more than just let them know," I quipped when they got close enough.

"We thought you should have loved ones around before going in for such a life-changing procedure," Mom explained as Dad stopped to hug his grandchildren.

"So you're the reason everyone's here?" Chaplain Ashton asked.

"We thought of coming just by ourselves," Dad explained as he joined us; it was getting harder to hear with all the chatting going on in the background. "Jeff, good to see you again and thanks for all you do for the hospital."

"Glad to help," the chaplain said as he and Dad shook hands. "I live to serve."

"You sure do," Dad chuckled.

I must have missed the knock at the door, but out of the comer of my eye I saw it open to reveal a couple of younger men dressed in blue, and I realized that they must have been sent to take me to the operating room. "I think they're ready for me," I told Dad.

He briefly glanced over his shoulder at the pair, then turned towards the other visitors. "Hey, quiet please!" he boomed. Once the room was quiet he continued. "The crew is here to move Tomoya, so if you could please clear a path, I'm sure he'd appreciate it."

"Before he goes…" Chaplain Ashton said with a raised finger before looking down at me. "Before you go in, Okazaki-san, I would like your permission to pray over you."

I took a moment to look around the room; I guess I wanted some idea of what everyone else thought. Other than Kyou's look of disgust, presumably with me, everyone had supportive expressions. "Sure, go ahead," I finally replied.

"Thank you; I'll keep it short." Like last time, he rested one hand on me, on my injured shoulder this time, and raised the other toward the ceiling, and the closed his eyes. Just for the hell of it, I closed mine as well. "Lord Jesus, thank you for surrounding Okazaki Tomoya with loving friends and family as he goes in for a life-changing surgery; let them be your way to richly bless him. Let your peace be upon him and let him know that you love him regardless of his physical ability. You hold life, death, and health in your hands, Lord Jesus, and I ask that you bless Okazaki with restored health. May your will be done in this, and all things." I felt the pressure leave my shoulder, so I opened my eyes to find him smiling down at me. "God be with you, Okazaki-san."

"Thanks," I said as I blinked a tear away, oddly moved by his prayer as the attendants worked to unlock the wheels to my bed.

"Hey, Tomoya."

I looked over to Kyou, who watched me with slightly puffy and reddened eyes. "Sorry about that. I hope everything turns out okay." She reached out a hand, which I took. "I know this isn't life-or-death, but I'm still going to worry about you, okay?"

"Thanks," I said with a small smile. "See you on the other side."

"Yeah," she said through a strained voice as she stepped aside, moving to the chaplain's side.

As the attendants wheeled me from the room, Ushio suddenly appeared at my side and kissed me on the cheek. "Good luck, Daddy."

I flashed everyone a 'victory' sign as I was wheeled out of the room.

"Nice having so many people who care about you, huh?" one of the attendants asked as they wheeled me down the hallway.

I thought of Pops and Sanae, and the Hiiragis, and Mom and Dad Fujibayashi, Kyou and Ushio, all wishing the best for me. And Chaplain Ashton; even though we barely knew each other, I felt like he really cared about my well-being. "Yeah..."

They wheeled me into what I assumed was the operating room, where Drs. Fujibayashi, Mori, and Miyamoto waited. They were wearing surgical masks, but had them pulled down. "Good afternoon, Okazaki-san," Dr. Fujibayashi greeted. "Are you ready?"

"Is it too late to go to the bathroom?" I quipped, causing the trio to chuckle. "Seriously, I didn't think to ask, but; will I be awake for the surgery?"

"No," Dr. Mori said with a shake of his head. "Due to the somewhat invasive nature of the surgery, we will be using a general anesthetic."

"That's fine; I'd probably be bored, anyway," I joked, trying to ignore a lingering fear. "Well, whenever you're ready, then; hit me."

The doctors pulled up their masks, covering the lower part of their faces, and Dr. Fujibayashi nodded to a young woman. "Go ahead."

She was wearing a mask as well, but I could see a smile behind it as she approached me with what I recognized as a breathing mask. "So what we're going to do is put this over your mouth and nose and have you count backwards from ten to one."

"Okay."

"I'll be monitoring your vitals from here," she added, indicating a box containing a series of small monitors, dials, and switches.

"Understood."

The mask was carefully strapped on, and the girl checked to make sure I had a good seal. Apparently satisfied, she gave me a thumbs-up. "When I tell you to, start counting backwards from ten to one."

"Okay."

She pressed a button on the box and adjusted a clip on the tubing leading up to my mask. "Okay, start counting down from ten to one."

I closed my eyes and started the countdown: "Ten…nine…eight…seven…six…five…four…three…two…one." I opened my eyes to find myself in a different room. It wasn't my regular room, though; this one looked more like a suite, with a small kitchen area. I could also see a door that led to a full bathroom. My shoulder felt achy, too. "What the…?"

A door clicked to my left, and I looked in time to see Dr. Fujibayashi enter. "Ah! You're awake."

"What do you mean?" I demanded. "And where am I? I counted down from ten like I was told to and somehow ended up here!"

"Calm down, please," he said, raising his hands in a placating gesture as he headed toward me. "That you don't remember anything means that the anesthetic worked just like it was supposed to."

"What do you mean?" I repeated, starting to feel more confused than angry.

"We have to regulate the level of anesthetic used, to keep you unconscious without harming you," he explained. "It's normal for people to have no memory of falling unconscious."

"All right," I grumbled, still feeling a little disoriented. "Was the operation a success? How long did it take?"

"Three hours, and this part was successful, yes," he said with a smile.

"This part?"

"This surgery was just to remove the damaged tissue, remember?" he said with a look of mild confusion. "It was in the paperwork you signed."

I decided not to tell him that I hadn't read the whole thing since they seemed trustworthy. In hindsight, I could have saved myself some stress. "Okay, doc; sorry about that."

"Don't worry about it, Okazaki-san. Believe me, I've dealt with worse."

"That's good to know," I sighed. "Well, what's the next step?"

"The next step is: You come back in about a week for the first of your tissue-stimulation sessions."

I blinked. "Sessions? As in more than one? How many are we talking, here?"

"I don't know," he admitted. "Since this is still an experimental procedure, I can't say how long this could take. What I can say, however, is that we will continue the treatment until either your range of movement is restored or we find that the stimulations are having no effect."

"I got it, doc. Thanks."

"How are you feeling?"

I tried to move my shoulder only to find that nothing happened. "A little panicky," I admitted. "You plan on sending me home like this?"

"We'll be fitting you with a special harness to immobilize your arm and hold it to your body for the duration of your treatments. Or longer, if…yeah."

I didn't need it spelled out for me. "Can I go back to work?"

He nodded thoughtfully. "You have a desk job, right?"

"Right."

"I don't see why not, but you'll have to do pretty much everything with your left arm; I wouldn't even trust the hand at this point due to the disconnected tissue."

"Fair enough," I grunted. "Do you know if any of my friends are still here?"

"They were, last I checked," he said, then chuckled. "In fact, your daughter interrogated me from the moment she saw me up until just before I entered your room."

"That sounds like her," I chuckled. "Can I see her?"

"How funny; it's usually the other way around," he chuckled. "Of course, but since you've haven't been out of surgery for very long I'd like any visits kept short, and to a minimum number of people."

"Fine with me," I grunted. "I'm feeling pretty tired, anyway."

"I'll go get your daughter," he said as he headed back toward the door and out. About a minute later, the door opened again, and-

"Daddy!" Ushio cried as she ran to throw herself on me. Past her, I could see Sanae lean on the wall next to the door with a small smile as she watched.

"Hey, sweetie," I murmured as I caressed her hair using my good arm. "Sorry to keep you waiting. Sorry to keep all of you waiting."

"It's okay," she muffled, her face buried in the sheets that covered me. "I know you weren't sick or anything, but I'm glad you're okay."

"Thanks," I said feeling the warmth of her words. "Is everyone still out there?"

She nodded. "Grandpas Furukawa and Fujibayashi and Kappei-sama have been talking, while my grandmas and Aunt Ryou and Kyou-sensei have been talking, too."

"Were you spending time with Mika-san and Tadashi-san, then?" I asked, still stroking her hair.

She nodded again. "They're sooo much fun! I should invite her to eat with us at school."

"Well, I think she has her own group she eats with, but you could still have that discussion," I said. "What about Chaplain Ashton?"

"He's so funny," she said, wrinkling her nose. "He spent the whole time kneeling in front of one of the chairs, leaning on the seat with his hands clasped and his eyes closed."

"Sounds like he might have been praying," I remarked.

"Maybe. He and Grandpa Okazaki looked almost like bookends."

"Bookends? You mean my old man was out there too?"

"Yup!" she chirped. "He was right there next to the chaplain."

Was my old man…praying for me? "Weird…"

"Excuse me," Sanae said as she headed our way. "Is there anyone else you'd like to see? Akio and I need to go home pretty soon, but I'd be willing to send someone else in."

"I should probably get some sleep," I said, stretching my good arm as I suddenly felt tired. "Could you thank everyone for being here for me?"

"Of course!" she said, beaming brightly. "Sleep well, Tomoya-san. Ushio; shall we go?"

"Yes, Grandma," my daughter replied with a glance over her shoulder before looking back to me. "Daddy?"

"Yeah, sweetie?"

"I…look forward to going through the counseling with you," she whispered. "I'm…sorry for what I did, and I look forward to being a family again." She gave me a peck on the cheek – the cheek! – before hurrying over to Sanae to follow her out the door, giving me a small wave as she left.

Feeling unusually relieved, I settled back into my pillow and allowed myself to drift into a peaceful sleep.


	13. Intake Exam

**Chapter Thirteen: Intake Exam**

"OKAZAKI!"

I raised my hand in a wave as cheers rang out through the office. "Yeah, I'm back. Thanks, guys."

"So, you finally decided to show up for work, huh?" my boss said with a smile as I sheepishly approached his office. "Don't worry; your in-laws called and told me you were in the hospital."

"Sorry for the trouble," I said humbly.

"Eh, don't worry about it. I wouldn't try to replace you, anyway; you're too good at what you do."

"Thanks."

"Listen, uh…" He nodded toward my harnessed arm. "You going to be able to work with that going on?"

I sighed. "To be honest, my writing won't be as good and my keyboarding might be a little slow, but I should still be able to make the quality decisions you've come to expect from me."

"Okay," he nodded, "fair enough. So, you ready to get back to work? You've got a bit of a pile on your desk."

"I've been looking forward to it, in a way," I admitted. "I'd like to get back to normal as soon as possible."

"All right, then; I won't keep you." With that, he turned and headed back to his office, leaving me to head to mine with a smile.

* * *

As I headed home from work, I thought back on my day. Other than the difficulties with writing and typing, I was pleased with my work. I had been able to clear most of the paperwork from my desk, surprising myself more than my boss.

I fumbled with the key to my door due in part to it sharing a ring with several other keys. "Dammit," I grunted as I managed to drop the whole thing. "This is going to take some getting used to."

I finally got inside and carefully lowered my bag to the floor, leaning it against the kotatsu. As I looked around the living room I felt like I hadn't been home in a very long time, even though I'd been gone less than a week. "Well, I guess I'd better get to work," I said, clapping my hands…hand…against nothing. "This is going to take some getting used to," I grunted as I stared at my lonely hand.

After a bit of tidying in the living room, I checked my watch. "Ushio should be home…in…" I trailed off as I remembered that she wouldn't be coming home for a while.

I walked quietly to the kitchen and opened the fridge; everything was exactly as I remembered it before my trip to the hospital. I closed the fridge and wandered over to the kotatsu and carefully lowered myself into my usual spot. I looked out the window, only to find that I'd forgotten to open it, so I carefully got back to my feet, opened the curtain, then went back and carefully lowered myself into my usual spot again to look out the window.

I must have been staring pretty intently, because the sound of my cell phone ringing startled me. After fishing around for it in my pocket, I finally pulled it out and quickly checked the caller ID before answering. "Hello, this is Okazaki."

" _Hey, Tomoya,"_ Kyou greeted.

"Hey yourself," I returned. "What's up?"

" _Are you settled back home yet?"_ she asked, sounding a little apprehensive.

"Yes and no," I replied. "Not being able to use my right arm has made life interesting, but I think I'll be all right."

" _What about Shio-chan?"_

"That's…the harder part," I admitted. "I haven't forgotten what she did, but I still miss her."

 _"I can imagine. Listen, uh…how are you feeling? About what she did, I mean?"_

"I'm pretty torn up," I admitted, surprised that I could talk to her so easily after our exchange at the hospital. "It was pretty shocking, seeing her…do what she did."

" _I'll bet."_ There was a few seconds of silence before she spoke again. _"Listen, Tomoya; I'm really sorry for what I said the other day. I don't really think you're an asshole or anything. I guess you surprised me; I haven't heard you talk like that in a long time."_

I sighed heavily. "In a way, I'm glad you did. Whether my feelings are right or not, I shouldn't have been making all of you deal with them."

" _Maybe."_ Another pause. _"You and your daughter are supposed to be seeing Jeff for counseling, right?"_

"Jeff?"

" _Oh…right,"_ she said in an embarrassed tone. _"That's the hospital chaplain's first name."_

"You're on a first-name basis now? This quickly?"

" _I knew him for a few weeks before I told all of you about him,"_ she explained. _"I went to the hospital to surprise Ryou, and he helped me find her. We talked quite a bit on the way, and…well…I saw he was cute and not wearing a ring."_

"That helps," I commented dryly.

" _Aw, shut up,"_ she giggled. _"Anyway, I think we hit it off pretty well; we exchanged numbers and have talked a few times."_

"Good for you," I said with genuine warmth, then remembered one of my conversations with the chaplain. "Hey, did you know he's a…"

" _What, Tomoya?"_

"Sorry; not my story to tell," I said, trying to recover from nearly blurting someone else's personal information. "It's nothing bad; I just thought it'd help explain him not being married at his age."

" _Yeah, he's a widower."_

My jaw nearly hit the floor. "How did you know that?"

" _He told me, you idiot. Didn't I tell you we've known each other a while and have talked several times?"_

"Yeah, you did. Hey, ease off, okay? I've had a rough week."

" _All right. Sorry."_

"Thanks."

" _Anyway, you're supposed to be seeing Jeff, right?"_

"Yeah. We've set up our first session for Saturday afternoon. He told me that this is supposed to be a…" I looked up as I tried to remember what he had called it. "…an intake appointment, that's it. It's so he can get to know us a little better, I guess."

" _He's talked to me about his work a little bit, and you're right; he needs to get to know you better so he can understand where you're coming from if you say something weird."_

"And, of course, I say a lot of weird things," I deadpanned.

" _Yup! Oh, hey; did your boss take you back?"_

"Yeah; he's always been pretty laid-back. It helped that Nagisa's parents called and told him what was going on."

" _That was nice of them."_

"They're good people," I told her. "Anyway, yeah; things are cool with the boss, I managed to get mostly caught up with my work today, I have my intake appointment on Saturday, and I miss Ushio."

" _I'll bet you do. Do you know when she'll be able to come back home?"_

"No, but my understanding is that when we've figured out why she is the way she is and 'fix' her, she should be able to come back home. She kissed me normally after my surgery, so I consider that a good sign."

" _Kissed you normally? What do you mean?"_

"She kept getting my mouth when she'd kiss my cheek," I replied, feeling my face heat up. "In hindsight, I think she was working up her courage for…well, the real thing."

" _Ugh,"_ she groaned. _"I think I'm gonna need that pan again."_

"I hear you," I said sympathetically. "Anyway, I'd really like to stop talking about that, now; I'm still kinda in shock from all that."

" _Okay. Um…how's the home life? You know, with one arm and all?"_

"I'm adjusting, but I can see that it's going to take me a while. It'd be fine if Ushio was here, but I wouldn't want to create a time paradox."

" _Huh?"_

"Never mind," I said. "It'd be too tough to explain."

" _Okay."_

"I'll admit that it'd be a lot easier if I had someone else here, but even if things work out with Ushio I'm still going to have to go one-armed after she moves out. Better to practice now than later."

" _Hmmm…"_

"What?"

" _Hm? Oh, nothing. Just thinking."_

"Okay. Well, if there's nothing else, I'd like to get going. I'm not sure how long it's going to take me to make dinner, so I'd like to get started as soon as possible."

" _All right. Take care of yourself, tough guy."_

"I will. Talk to you later."

" _Bye!"_

After dropping the phone a couple of times I was finally able to hold onto it long enough to disconnect my end of the call; Hopefully, Kyou hadn't had to listen to a bunch of noise as a result. I pocketed my phone and headed over to the kitchen again to see about finding something I could make for dinner. Unfortunately, everything I had required two hands for preparation, so I sighed as I headed over to collect my coat. I struggled it onto my good arm, then wrestled it over my absent shoulder. Finally covered, I was exhausted and ready to go.

The air was pleasantly cool as I headed to the convenience store. Since Ushio and I normally made our meals with fresh ingredients I hadn't been to a convenience store in a long time, and part of me was looking forward to see what changes to the selection had been made since my high school days.

An electric chime sounded as I opened the door, and I took in the still-familiar smell of the shop. While some of the brand names had changed over the years, the store appeared to carry the same kinds of things it did when I was younger.

"Welcome to our store!" I looked to the checkout counter in time to see a young dark-haired woman, probably in her early twenties, straightening from a bow. "Please let me know if I can be of assistance."

"Thanks," I replied before turning my attention to the store's many aisles. It took me a while, but I found the noodle cups and started poking around them, trying to remember which ones I liked. "Curry; I remember liking that…Shrimp, yeah…I guess I like more than I thought."

"Are you finding everything okay?" Startled, I quickly straightened to find the clerk standing behind me. "Can I help?"

"N-No, thanks," I said. "Just need to make a decision here."

It wasn't surprising when her purple eyes settled on my harnessed arm. "Why is your arm like that? I mean, if I'm not rude for asking."

I was a little put off by her question, but understood that she didn't mean any harm. "It's my shoulder. The doctors are working on an experimental…technique to try to fix it."

"What's wrong with your shoulder?"

"It was injured a long time ago and never healed properly," I explained while trying not to remember the circumstances behind said injury. "It was recently reinjured, and they're trying to fix it by freezing out the damaged tissue, then making my body make healthy tissue."

"Wow…" she breathed. "The things doctors can do these days. And here I was thinking of getting plastic surgery while, you're…" She ducked her head with a blush. "I feel kinda shallow now."

"Don't worry about it," I told her. "We all have our challenges."

"You're right," she said, a smile starting to spread across her face. "Thank you."

"You're…welcome?" I wasn't sure what I had done, but if she felt better… "Anyway miss, if you don't mind…?"

"Oh!" she squeaked, her hands flying to her mouth. "O-Of course! Please excuse me!" With that, she hurried back to the counter, bowing again once she was in her usual spot.

I snorted lightly at the spectacle before returning my attention to the shelves of noodle cups. Eventually, I decided on a curry cup and a bowl of shrimp ramen; I didn't want to make a trip two days in a row. I took my purchases up to the counter, where a blushing clerk waited for me. "I'd like to buy these, please."

"S-Sure," she said, staring up at me for a moment before blinking repeatedly, as though coming out of a trance. "I-I mean, yes, sir! I'll get right on it." She seemed flustered as she processed my transaction, but she finally got everything rung up and in a bag. I handed her the money, and she fumbled the bills as she put them in the register, causing me to wonder how someone like her ended up working with the public. "H-Here you go!" she nearly yelled as she thrust my bag at me.

I took my bag with a blink and a shake of my head. "Thanks; have a good evening." I turned and headed toward the door, glancing back to see her watching me as I exited the store.

I had only gone about couple dozen feet toward home before I heard her yelling after me. "Sir, your receipt!" I stopped to let her catch up with me, and was a little concerned to find her out of breath; did they teach Phys Ed in school anymore? "Here!" I reached out to take it, but she quickly snapped it back, whipped out a pencil and scribbled something on it, then thrust it into my hand. "Have a nice day!" she yelled over her shoulder as she ran back to the store.

Puzzled, I looked at my receipt and sighed; if I was seeing what I thought I was seeing, she had written her phone number on my receipt. I sighed again, and shoved it into my pocket as I turned to head for home again.

* * *

I looked at the paper in my hand as I headed down the road toward Furukawa Bakery. It had been a long time since I'd visited Pops and Sanae at their home, mainly due to my job. At least Ushio got to visit them every so often on her way home from school or on the weekends. But my reason for heading that way wasn't to visit them; it was to find the location of my counseling sessions. Apparently the place was near the bakery, which made it nice for Ushio; at least she didn't have to go very far to get there, and I didn't mind the walk.

To my surprise, I didn't see Pops, Sanae, or Ushio on the way to my destination, and it wasn't long before I found myself standing before a large, stone building. It definitely looked older than the buildings around it, with structures that looked like towers at the corners, and colored glass for windows.

I found what looked like the main entrance, a large set of wooden double-doors with a small knocker on one of them. I reached out and used the knocker to…well, knock on the door several times.

About a minute later, it opened to reveal a familiar face. "Ah, good afternoon, Okazaki-san! Your daughter is already here."

"She's here? I'm sorry, am I late?"

"Not at all," he said warmly, opening the door further as he stepped aside. "You're actually a little early, but she got here even earlier; we've just been keeping each other company while we waited for you."

"Well, sorry to keep you waiting, then," I said as I passed him into the building and took in the sight of its interior. I stood in what appeared to be an entryway, a small room with a table that held several different kinds of pamphlets. Across from me was another doorway, where the open doors revealed a large room with several tables, each with chairs around them. "Where is this?" I asked.

"You've never been here before, have you?" At the shake of my head he continued. "Well, welcome to Glory to God church, Okazaki-san. This is where we study and prepare ourselves to spread the Good News to others." I could actually hear the capitalization in his words. "I also use this for counseling when needed, like this." He gestured down a hall to my left. "Right this way, if you would."

"Lead the way," I said, feeling a little overwhelmed. I followed him down a long hallway until it intersected with another hall, which ended at an open door, through which I could see part of Ushio's profile as she sat in one of the high-backed chairs in what I figured was the chaplain's office. "Hi, Ushio."

"Daddy!" she cried, launching herself from her chair to collide with me in an embrace. "I've missed you!"

"It's only been a few days, but…I've missed you, too," I chuckled, though part of me was understandably cautious in light of her recent actions.

"Let's get started, shall we?" Chaplain Ashton said as he circled a large desk on the other side of the chairs to settle into a chair behind the desk. After we had taken our seats, he spoke again. "First, we should introduce ourselves. I understand that we've learned each other's names already, but I'd like to keep our sessions structured, and I always start with official introductions. Any objections?"

Ushio and I exchanged shrugs. "Whatever you need to do," I said.

"Great!" he said with a clap of his hands. "I'll start with myself then; I'm Jeff Ashton, the pastor of Glory to God church. For now, please call me 'Ashton-sensei', if you would."

"That makes sense," Ushio replied. "Nice to meet you, Ashton-sensei."

"I have a question," I said, raising my hand. "I thought you were a chaplain, but here you're calling yourself a 'pastor' or something like that."

"I'm a chaplain for the hospital, which means I satisfy certain responsibilities specific to a hospital setting," he replied easily. "At this church, though, I lead the congregation in our various services. My function is different here than at the hospital."

"I think I get the basic concept," I said. "I can figure out the details as we go."

"Sounds good," he said, clapping his hands again. "So, who would like to go second?"

"I'll go!" Ushio chirped with her hand raised, reminding me of a grade-schooler. "My name is Okazaki Ushio. I'm sixteen years old and I attend Hikarizaka High School."

"Hikarizaka…" The chap…pastor's eyes narrowed in thought. "Isn't that the prep school at the top of the hill?"

"That's the one! I just started there, but I can tell that it's going to be fun."

"Well, good for you," he said with a warm smile. "Is there anything else you'd like us to know?"

"Well…" she knotted her fingers as she glanced at me repeatedly. "I really miss my dad, so I'm going to do the best I can to… I'll do whatever I have to so we can live together again."

"Aw, sweetie…" I had a sudden need to wipe at my eyes.

"Here." I looked up at the pastor, who was holding a tissue toward me. "I…go through a lot of these as a counselor."

"I believe it," I replied as I accepted the proffered tissue. "Thanks."

"Anything else?" I heard him ask Ushio as I dabbed at my eyes.

"I think that's it," she replied with a smile in her voice. "Your turn, Daddy?"

"Okay Daddy," Pastor Ashton said with good humor. "Can you tell me a little about yourself?"

"Sure," I said as I stuffed the tissue in a pocket. "My name is Okazaki Tomoya, I'm an accountant for Hikarizaka Electrical, and I'm a widower."

He spread his hands in a 'well?' gesture. "Anything else?"

"I'm sure we'll be getting into that," I said with a smirk.

"Okay, fair enough," he chuckled. "Well, if everyone's okay with it, I'd like to make sure I understand the current situation, what brought you to me."

"The police," I quipped, drawing another chuckle from him.

"All right, if you're going to be that way…" he started with a grin, but quickly turned serious. "It's, uh…my understanding that there was an incident between the two of you, possibly resulting from feelings of guilt."

"That's right," Ushio replied before I could open my mouth. "I…needed to make up for killing his wife."

"Your mother," he prompted.

"Yes, sir."

"Ooookaaaay…" he intoned as he scribbled on a sheet of paper; surprising, considering the number of computer tablets I saw at the hospital.

"Aren't you going to ask how she killed her mother?" I asked, puzzled.

"Not yet," he replied as he looked up at me. "It's not time; I'm just trying to get an overview right now. I will say that there is one other thing I would like to discuss, if you are willing, Oka… May I call you 'Tomoya-san'? I don't want to say 'Okazaki-san' and have you both answering."

"That's fine," I said, chuckling as Ushio giggled. "I'll help ease the confusion."

"Thank you; I appreciate it."

"You can call me 'Shio-chan' if you want," my daughter offered.

"Are you okay with that?" he asked me.

I shrugged. "I don't mind. She's an adult now, so I try to respect her space."

"Hmm…" he scribbled some more, making me a little anxious. "That's right; sixteen is the age of consent, isn't it?"

"Y-Yeah…" Ushio replied while glancing nervously at me.

"As I was saying, Tomoya-san; there's something I would like to discuss as part of our counseling, if you will permit it."

"What's that?"

"Your relationship with your father."

I bit my tongue so hard I thought I would sever it. "I don't…want to talk about him," I said stiffly. "Period."

"As you wish," he sighed as he made another note on his sheet. "I think it would be beneficial to you to talk about it, but I will respect your wishes."

"Thank you."

"Daddy?" I looked over to Ushio, who shrank in her seat. "I…I r-really think you should talk about Grandpa Okazaki, just to get it off your chest. Sorry."

I sighed heavily. "All right; for you I will consider it. But I will not be made into the problem," I declared, pointing at the pastor.

"My only desire would be to see the two of you reconciled," he said evenly. "It's not my job or inclination to assign blame."

"But you said something about it taking two people to fight, didn't you?"

"That is true, though I will acknowledge that my statement may not apply in your situation," he admitted. "I will have no problem with being wrong about that."

"Oh. Okay," I said, surprised by his humility. "Thanks."

"Tomoya-san, you seem to have a misconception about my job; I am not here to judge anyone; that is not the way of a counselor. My job is to help you understand yourselves as well as each other, to help you relate to each other in more positive and edifying ways. I'm also here to help you be at peace with who you are, if that is needed."

I mulled over his words. "All right, pastor; fair enough. I'll reserve my judgments for now."

"Thank you," he said with a warm smile, then looked over at my daughter. "Are you okay, Shio-chan? Do you need me to explain anything to you?"

"N-No," she replied with a shake of her head. "I'll admit that Daddy scared me with how…how…"

"Assertive he was?" he suggested.

"Aggressive?" I suggested.

"Yeah, a-aggressive," she confirmed. "It was kinda scary."

"I'm sorry, sweetie," I said. "I guess I'm feeling a little defensive here."

"Perfectly understandable," the pastor said gently. "Just know that everything that's said in any of our counseling sessions will be confidential as far as I'm concerned; I'm only required to share information if someone is threatening a life, theirs or someone else's." He smiled affably. "I don't see that happening in your case, however."

"Good to know," I grunted, causing Ushio to giggle. "Can we talk outside of our sessions?"

"That's up to you," he said, spreading his hands. "But I can't guarantee confidentiality if you're talking about it on the Shinkansen during rush hour."

"Fair enough," I chuckled, then looked over to my daughter. "For now, I think we should keep it just the three of us. We could include trusted people like Mom and Dad Fujibayashi later. What do you think?"

"That sounds okay," she said, nodding.

"I may be asking to bring others into the sessions, if possible," Pastor Ashton interjected. "For example, the Furukawas may be able to help me gain perspective on things that you tell me."

I didn't like the idea of Pops hearing all my dirty laundry, but his words made sense. "We'll…worry about that when we get there, okay?"

"Sure," he replied with another gentle smile. "This is for you, after all." He glanced up at the clock. "I know it's a little early, but we can kick out now; I have your case to review, along with what you've told me today; I should be busy for a while," he finished with a wink.

"Fine with me," I said as I looked to my daughter, who nodded. "I need to get home and burn another dinner, anyway."

"Are you doing okay, Daddy?" Ushio asked with worried eyes.

I ducked my head with an embarrassed grin. "Let's just say that I've become more acquainted with the convenience store lately and leave it at that, okay?"

"Okay," she giggled.

"Can I walk you home?" I offered, figuring the bakery wasn't too far away.

"I'm sorry Tomoya-san, but she has to wait for one of her grandparents," Pastor Ashton informed me.

"Oh. Right." I felt a little stupid.

"Don't worry, Daddy," my daughter said comfortingly. "I'll be back home before either of us know it; you'll see."

"I believe you," I replied with a heavy heart. "Well, I guess I'll go on ahead then. Say 'hi' to Pops ad Sanae for me."

"Okay," she said with a non-creepy adoring smile.

As I headed home from the church, I thought about everything I had discovered that day; about Chaplain Ashton also being Pastor Ashton, how counseling worked…

For some reason, I was conflicted; in regards to the whole situation my mind was worried, but my heart was at peace.


	14. Housewarming

**Chapter Fourteen: Housewarming**

I grumbled to myself as I trudged down the sidewalk toward the convenience store on my way home from work. I was to the point where I could make simple sandwiches one-handed, but most dinners still required the use of two hands, hence the frequent stops at the store. I'd briefly considered making sandwiches for dinner, but I knew I needed something warm to eat every so often, and the noodle cups and bowls were hot meals, if nothing else.

My shoulder still tingled from my first stimulation treatment the prior Saturday. I was told that it would take at least a couple of treatments before anyone could tell if they were having any effect and that I could expect some tingling as well as aching. I was grateful for the lack of aching, but the tingling was starting to get on my nerves…so to speak.

As I approached the apartment complex I saw a girl with purple hair and wearing the uniform for Hikarizaka High waiting near my front door. Because her back was to me I couldn't be sure who it was, but as I got closer I quickly recognize the twintails. "Mika-san?"

The girl spun and, sure enough, Ryou and Kappei's daughter stood before me. "Ah! Okazaki-sama! Good afternoon!" she greeted with a bow.

"Good afternoon," I returned with a nod. "If you're looking for Ushio, she's staying with the Furukawas."

"I'm actually here to see you, sir," she said shyly.

"Um, okay." I stepped past her to get to my door and started my door-opening ritual. "You're a ways from home, but what can I do for you?" I fumbled the key as usual, dropping the whole ring to the ground…as usual.\

Before I could pick it up, however, a hand quickly snatched it up. "Please let me help you," Mika said. "Which one's the door key?"

I straightened with a blink of surprise. "Um… that one," I said, pointing to the only silver-colored key on the ring. "Thanks."

She blushed as she worked the key into the lock. Finally, it clicked and she opened the door for me. "After you, sir."

"Thanks," I repeated as I entered my home. "Well, come on in, I guess. You can tell me what you need while I make us some tea."

"I-If you will show me where the tea bags and the mugs are, I-I would be happy to prepare the tea," she offered.

I dropped my work satchel and store bag before turning to face her. "You don't need to do that," I told her. "You're a guest here."

"I…I understand that I am a guest," she acknowledged. "But…"

"Mika-san, is something wrong?" I asked, stepping forward to rest my hand on her shoulder. "Did you have a fight with your parents or something?"

"No, not at all!" she blurted, then cast her gaze to the floor. "I-I'm sorry; I'm a little nervous."

"Then take your time," I said gently as I stepped back again to give her space to think. "Just tell me why you're here; that's a good place to start, right?"

"R-Right." She took a couple of deep breaths before managing to lift her gaze to mine. "The truth is; Aunt Kyou asked me to come by after school and help you."

"She did? Did she talk to your parents about it?"

"Mom and Dad were very supportive of the idea," she confirmed with a nod. "We figured that since I pass nearby on my way home that I can stop by and help with whatever you might need help with…like dinner."

"Dinner?" I exclaimed as I retrieved a couple of mugs, one at a time. "That's kinda late, don't you think?"

"I could prepare it beforehand, so all you'd have to do is microwave it," she offered.

I blinked in thought, firing up the stove under the kettle before gesturing to her. "Well, if you're okay with this, then…"

"I am," she said, taking a step toward me. "I want to help. Mom's told me about how you've been through a lot, so…"

I paused as I reached for the tea bags, suddenly feeling very vulnerable. "Just how much has she told you, anyway?"

"She told me that you lost your wife a long time ago," she said. "She told me that you had a really hard time dealing with the loss." The teenager looked up with a thoughtful expression. "She told me that you hurt your shoulder back in middle school, and that it never healed right. And she told me…" She snapped her mouth shut, her eyes wide.

"Mika-san?" I prompted, worried. "Are you okay? What did she tell you?"

She opened her mouth, but no sounds came out for several seconds. "I'm…sorry, but I just realized that...it was something about her." She gave me a sheepish grin. "I'm sorry."

"Oh, okay. As long as it's nothing bad, I guess."

"Not at all!" she exclaimed. Just then, the kettle started to whistle. "Oh! Let me get that for you, sir!"

"I can…all right, thanks." I stepped back and let her take over, watching as she expertly prepared the tea. "I guess…I'll go sit down, then."

"It'll be ready in just a minute," she said, her eyes still on her work.

I sighed with a smile as I headed over and carefully sat at the kotatsu. "How's school going?" I asked, already feeling uncomfortable with the silence.

"It's going well," she replied as she headed over with our tea. "I'm not earning perfect grades, but I am doing my best."

"That's all anyone can ask," I said with a smile, trying to comfort her.

"Y-Yes, sir."

I gave her a concerned glance, but focused on picking up my mug and lifting it to my mouth. "Hey, this is good," I remarked.

"I…would hope you like it," she said with a puzzled look. "You bought it."

"No, I mean…" I chuckled self-consciously. "I just mean that I usually end up making it too strong or too weak, but this…this is perfect."

"Oh. W-Well, I'm glad you like it. Thank you."

We sipped our tea quietly for several minutes, and I realized that I was no longer uncomfortable with the silence. Perhaps I had been uncomfortable because someone was serving me, because I was starting to relax now that I was feeling grateful for the company; I had been alone for a couple of weeks, after all. "How are your parents doing? I haven't talked with them since my surgery."

"They're fine, sir," she replied. "Nothing's really changed since then. Dad still coaches and Mom still works at the hospital."

"'Normal' can be a good thing, in a way," I observed.

"Yes, sir," she said with a giggle. "I hadn't thought of that, but I guess it can." She looked back at my kitchen. "Do you mind if I see what you have? I mean, to make for dinner?"

"No, go ahead," I said, gesturing to the kitchen with my mug. "I'd rather not have to throw ingredients away."

She flashed me a smile as she got to her feet and padded to the kitchen, where she promptly started poking around in…well, pretty much every cabinet. "Do you have any seasonings?" her voice echoed from somewhere.

"Far left, second drawer down."

"Ah! Found it."

I smiled to myself as I watched her continue to rummage around my kitchen. "Did your mom teach you how to cook?"

"A little," her voice echoed again. "She told me she's never been a very good cook, so she's glad Aunt Kyou's free." She straightened to face me. "Ever since she moved in she's been helping out the cooking, and she's been teaching me how to cook."

"Kyou is a really good cook," I remarked as I remembered the meals she'd made for me and Ushio.

"She's amazing," Mika breathed, nearly glowing. "I don't know how she does it, but she can take anything and make it gourmet-level."

"Then I guess it's a good thing you're learning from a master chef."

"Yeah… Oh! I'm sorry, I got distracted!" She quickly spun and went back to her treasure hunting.

As I watched her I felt an itch start to form on my right side. I tried to reach across with my left arm to scratch it, but my harnessed right arm made it so I could barely reach it. After looking around in desperation for something long enough to reach it, I finally had to lay down and writhe on the floor to rub the itch against the inside of my shirt.

"Okazaki-sama, what are you doing?" a giggly voice asked, and I looked up to see Mika watching me from the entrance to the kitchen with a look of amusement.

"Sorry," I grunted as I struggled back to an upright position. "Had an itch and couldn't reach it."

She sighed sympathetically. "Aw, that sucks. Do you have a backscratcher anywhere?"

"Not yet," I said with an awkward smile. "But I will by the end of tomorrow."

She giggled softly as she headed back to the kotatsu to sit again. "I've been able to come up with a few options for dinner, but I want to know what you'd like to eat."

I shrugged my shoulder. "Anything's fine with me. I'm not a human garbage disposal or anything, but I'm not too picky, either."

"You're so funny, Okazaki-sama," she giggled again. "Oh, that's right; do you need to eat anything in particular because of your operation?"

That was a good question. "My doctors haven't told me to eat anything in particular… I'll have to ask them next time, but I'm sure they'd have told me. I guess anything with protein would be good for now."

"I'll get right on it," she said, getting to her feet again to head back to the kitchen.

I watched her with a smile as she started preparing dinner. I missed having someone to talk to; I knew that I could call Ushio at pretty much any time, but it wasn't the same as having someone physically there. "Hey, Mika-san?"

"Yes, sir?" she replied without looking.

"I…don't know how this is going to sound, but…thanks for doing this," I said with a smile that truly reflected my gratitude. "It's been kinda hard being here by myself, so…thanks."

She paused, then put down whatever she was working on to face me with an unsteady smile. "I'm…glad that I could help," she said with a voice slightly laced with emotion. "D-Dinner should be ready shortly."

"Sounds good," I said. "Thanks."

She nodded once before turning back to the stove. I leaned back on my hands – crap, hand – to look out the window…before realizing that the curtains were closed.

* * *

"So, dinner's in the fridge. All you should have to do is warm it for a minute-and-a-half at about eighty percent," she told me as she stood just inside the front door. "If it's not warm enough, then warm it again for another fifteen seconds at the same power level; it needs the higher setting 'cause it's kinda dense."

"Got it," I said. "Are you going to be okay getting home?"

"I'll be fine," she replied with a nod. "I was in a club last year, so going home at this time isn't too unusual for me."

"I'd like to know what club you were in, but I can ask about that another time," I told her. "Are you planning on being here tomorrow, then?"

"Yup!" she chirped. "I'll be coming over as long as you need me and as long as Mom and Dad let me."

"Thanks," I said for what seemed like the umpteenth time. "I really appreciate this."

"My pleasure! Well, see you tomorrow!" With that, she turned and headed away from my home, presumably toward the nearest train station to head to her own home.

I smiled to myself as I closed the door, then headed over to dig my phone out of my coat. Thanks to some amazing thumb dexterity, I was able to pull up the Hiiragi's number and hit 'call'.

" _Hello?"_ greeted Kappei's now-familiar voice. _"This is Hiiragi."_

"Hey, Kappei," I greeted.

" _Okazaki!"_ he boomed. _"Man, I really need to give you my cell number!"_

"Okay, give me a minute to get something to write with and something to write on," I said as I started to put the phone down.

" _Wait!"_ I heard him yell, so I brought the phone back to my ear again. _"You there, Okazaki?"_

"I'm here."

" _I'll just send it with Mika tomorrow, okay?"_

"That works. Actually I was calling to let you know that she just left a couple of minutes ago. I'm assuming she's going straight home?"

" _As far as I know, yeah. Okay, well, thanks for letting me know."_

"No problem." I then had to ask: "Are you really okay with her coming over here? I mean, you know what happened, right?"

A noticeable pause. _"Look, I know it's not your fault. If I'd found out you'd tried to…do that…to your own daughter, I'd have you in my sights myself. But I know you're not like that, and Ryou and I know that you didn't do that, so it's cool."_

"Thanks," I said, humbled. "And thanks for letting her do this; she was a big help today, saving me from noodle cups."

His infectious laugh brought a smile to my face. _"Well, she's a good student of Kyou's! Have you had what she made, yet?"_

"Not yet, no," I replied, glancing over at the fridge. "I was planning on heating it up around six."

 _Oh, yeah! That's when you have dinner, isn't it?"_

"Yup."

" _Cool. So you said she left a few minutes ago?"_

"About five minutes ago now, yeah."

" _So she should be home just in time for dinner… Hey, uh…"_ Something about his pause had me imagining him scratching himself at the back of his neck. _"…would you be okay with the four of us inviting ourselves over for dinner sometime?"_

"I...suppose…"

" _It's just that it must suck being all by yourself at dinnertime. We couldn't come every day, of course, but maybe Saturday…?"_

"Yeah, it does suck," I admitted easily. "It'd be good to have friend over every so often, at least. Thanks."

" _Hey, you're a friend of the family! And friends are there for each other right?"_

"And when they can't be, they send their kids!" I teased.

" _Heh heh, you got me there,"_ he chuckled, fortunately taking my statement as intended. _"You free this Saturday, then? We could have the ladies whip up something_ _awesome_ _!"_

"I'm game," I said eagerly. "Hey, by the way, your daughter did tell me that Kyou's been teaching her how to cook. How's that going?"

" _What, you worried?"_ he teased back. _"When I said she was a good student of Kyou's, I meant it. After you taste Mika's cooking, you'll be begging us to send her over, even_ _after_ _your shoulder gets better!"_

"Now I'm really looking forward to dinner," I said. "Maybe I'll have it a little early today…"

I heard him laugh loudly. _"Yeah, you do that. Well, listen; I've got to go, but you have a great evening, okay?"_

"Thanks, you too. Later."

" _Yeah!"_

* * *

I grunted as Dr. Fujibayashi removed the gizmo from my shoulder. I had felt fine during the first two treatments, but now it was starting to hurt. "Hey, doc; how many more of these are left?"

"I'm not sure," he admitted. "As you know, you're our first test subject for this procedure, so we have no precedent. In fact, you're helping us form precedent right now. Why do you ask, though? Are you in pain?"

"A little," I grunted as I gingerly held my shoulder. "It feels achy…and kinda tingly; it wouldn't be so bad anywhere else, but here…"

"I believe I understand," he replied sympathetically. "The shoulder can be a rather sensitive area. Would you like us to scan it to see what's going on? You're not due for one until next week, but considering your current discomfort…" he finished with a shrug.

"I wouldn't want to put you out…"

"Nonsense," he said, waving a dismissive hand. "Your well-being is our first priority, especially with your willingness to assist us with our research. Let me help you with your shirt and harness, and we'll head down to Radiology." We got my gear on and I grabbed my lunch bag to follow him out of the lab's treatment room. I almost had the hospital layout memorized, but my memory was mostly limited to wherever I had to walk to get to the lab for my stim treatments. Still, I felt pretty pleased with myself for being able to remember so much. "We'll perform an x-ray, since the tissue in the shoulder should be dense enough to be visible," he said as we entered a familiar room. "Go ahead and lay there; you know the drill, right?"

"I certainly do," I said with a grin as I headed to the table and lay down on it. Moments later, an arm with a camera-like attachment swiveled out and pointed at my shoulder. I knew that I wouldn't need a lead 'blanket' because their x-ray machine could somehow target a specific area without spreading radiation all over the place. "Ready, doc."

" _Just hold still…"_ he said from behind a partition. Why they needed the partition when I didn't need the blanket I didn't know, but I figured that it was because they'd have to remodel the whole room which, when I thought about it, wasn't really necessary. I heard a light humming sound, and… _"There! Got it. Come here and we'll take a look."_

I grunted my way to the edge of the table and slid down to pad over to where he was waiting. "So? How's it look, doc?"

"Hmm…" he grunted, reminding me of my old homeroom teacher. "I'm hesitant to get too excited just yet, but this is actually looking pretty good." He pointed to a part of the image. "If you remember, we ended up freezing out a lot of your tendon here, but look; it's not much, but it appears to be starting to grow back."

I had to contain my own excitement. "So, what does this mean? Will I be able to take off the harness soon?"

"Not quite yet," he replied with a shake of his head. "I can say, however, that if we keep seeing progress like this…we could be ready to remove the harness in as early as thirty days."

"Thirty days?!"

"That assumes a consistent rate of growth," he quickly added. "But the human body is rarely that cooperative. We'll use thirty days as a frame of reference; how does that sound?"

"Better then never being able to use my shoulder again!" I exclaimed. "So, you're serious? This really seems to be working?"

"That does appear to be the case," he acknowledged. "I'd hold off on celebrating, though, until the harness is off and you're consistently reaching over your head. Keep in mind that even if this is successful you'll have to have physical therapy for a while to build up the strength in your shoulder."

"You couldn't use your stimulation gizmo for that?" I asked.

"Now, that's not how it works," he said with a chuckle. "Right now, this technology is only intended to help you get to a certain point, but you need organic movement to help…" he looked up for a moment. "…to help limber it up and strengthen it. Our 'stimulation gizmo' can't do that, at least at present. This isn't science fiction, after all."

"All right, doc," I said, still trying to contain my enthusiasm. "Sorry for being so pushy."

He chuckled again as he laid a hand on my shoulder. "Chin up; the way things are going, you could be back to normal in as little as six months; that's actually pretty fast for a medical procedure."

Six months… If it meant that my shoulder would be completely fixed, I'd wait six years for that.

* * *

" _That's wonderful, Daddy!"_ Ushio exclaimed when I gave her the news. _"How do you feel about getting your arm back? I mean, being able to move your arm all the way?"_

"I'm trying to not get excited," I admitted. "My shoulder's been busted for twenty years, so I guess I've kinda gotten used to not being able to use it much."

" _That makes sense. What's the first thing you're going to do if this works?"_

"Pick you up and twirl you!" I exclaimed with a laugh. "I've never been able to do that!"

" _Hey, that's right!"_ she giggled. _"I always felt bad because I wanted you to do that when I was little, but I understood you couldn't."_

"It'd be kinda odd twirling a sixteen-year-old," I admitted. "Though with as long as this could take, you might be seventeen by then."

" _I can wait,"_ she giggled. _"I've waited this long; I can wait a little longer, though it'll be hard. And who cares if it's weird, right?"_

"Right; I guess I can't worry about how it looks to other people, huh?" I then cringed as I thought about her behavior prior to my…accident. "Within reason, of course."

" _Huh?"_

"Don't worry about it," I said reassuringly. "Just…refining my thoughts, I guess."

" _Oh. Okay."_

"Well, how about you? How's school going?"

" _It's going fine. Hey, Hiiragi-senpai told me that she's been helping you at home. Is that true?"_

"Y-Yeah," I said, suddenly feeling awkward. "I guess that Kyou felt sorry for me when I told her how I was doing and pestered her sister and brother-in-law to let Mika-san help me out."

" _I'm sorry that I can't be there for you."_

"Don't worry about it," I told her, not sure what else to say. "Let's…just focus on the counseling sessions so we can get back to normal. Okay?"

" _Okay."_ A brief pause. _"Um, Grandma wants to talk to you."_

Sanae did? "Okay, put her on, then."

" _Okay. Talk you to later. I love you, Daddy."_

"I…love you, too," I replied, understandably uncertain as to how she meant it.

I could hear a brief conversation on the other end, then: _"Tomoya-san?"_

"Hi, Mom."

" _Well, hello!"_ I always liked how bubbly she sounded. _"How are you? How is your shoulder?"_

"I'm fine," I replied. I typically hated repeating myself, but this was Sanae, so it was all right. "The doctor said that he wasn't sure, but it looks like I could be getting rid of the harness in the next thirty days or so."

" _How wonderful!"_ she gushed. _"Will you be able to use your arm completely, then?"_

"Not at first," I told her. "Even if this all works out, I'll still need physical therapy to help strengthen the muscles and tendons."

" _What about your range of movement?"_

"I should get it all back," I said. "The whole point of the therapy is to get rid of the damaged tissue and replace it with healthy tissue, so…"

" _Ah, I believe I understand. Modern technology is amazing…"_

"It is," I agreed. "Never thought I'd be helping with it, too."

" _It must feel good, knowing that you're helping others as well as yourself."_

"Yeah."

" _Well, I won't keep you any longer. Oh, how have you been doing with cooking and the like? Do you need me to come over? I can't believe I didn't think of this before!"_

"I'm fine, Mom, thanks. Ryou's and Kappei's daughter's been coming over to help out."

" _The Hiiragi girl?"_

"You know her?"

" _A little. She's stopped by a couple of times to see Shio-chan. She seems like a nice girl."_

"I think so, too. Anyway, she'll be helping out as long as she can, so I should be fine for the time being. Thanks for the offer, though. You can come over any time, anyway; as far as I know, Ushio can be here as long as one of you is with her, right?"

" _That's our understanding."_

I still thought the court orders were stupid, but I understood why they were in place; they had no idea why Ushio did what she did, so they had no way of knowing whether or not she'd try to do it again. I knew better, but… "So if you wanted to give Mika-san a day off, we could make the arrangements."

" _I'll keep that in mind. Well, I won't keep you any longer. Have a pleasant day, Tomoya-san."_

"You, too."

As I got off the phone, it hit me yet again that, in spite of the incident with my daughter, my life was actually starting to turn around.


	15. A Rough Start

**Chapter Fifteen: A Rough Start**

"…so he said that I might be able to take this stupid thing off in the next thirty days or so," I finished.

Pastor Ashton leaned back in his chair as he smiled broadly. "That's good to hear, Tomoya-san. From what I understand, you've been needing something to go your way."

"No kidding," I grunted with a smile of my own.

"I'm really happy for you, Daddy," Ushio said from her seat next to mine. "I know you've had a rough life…"

"Indeed," the pastor said as he set his gaze on my daughter. "Which leads us to why we're here…"

"Y-Yeah…I mean; yes, sir," she replied as she looked down to her folded hands.

"If I understand correctly, you believe it's your fault that your mom died," he said gently.

"Yes, sir," she replied, her voice barely above a whisper. "She died giving birth to me."

"Ushio, I've told you that your mother was suffering from one of her fevers," I protested. "The birth may have…" I trailed off, not really wanting to finish my sentence.

"Tomoya-san, are you saying that the birthing progress…" he glanced over at my daughter, "…finished what the fever started?"

"That's right."

"Now, you said 'one of her fevers'; is that right?" he asked, starting to scribble in his notebook again.

"That's right," I repeated. "Nagisa would get pretty bad fevers every once in a while. Back in high school, she ended up having to repeat her third year twice due to a couple of fevers."

"So, she was a third-year for three years?"

"Yes, sir. When I met her at the start of her second time, she was trying to find a reason to go to school."

"Why is that?"

"She was kinda depressed because all of her friends had graduated, so she hardly knew anyone any more. Who was it she said she felt like…?" I wracked my brain for the memory. "Urashima Taro? Yeah, that's the name." The pastor gave me a puzzled look, so I explained, "He was a man who ended up about 300 years past his time. I can't remember all the details, but that's the basic idea."

"Sounds a bit like Rip Van Winkle," he commented. "He slept for twenty years, missing the American Revolution. A man out of time, but not as much as your…what was his name again?"

"Urashima Taro," Ushio answered, then blushed. "We studied him in history recently."

"..Taro…" Pastor Ashton murmured as he scribbled in his book again. "I'll have to read up on him; his story sounds like it could be interesting."

"Where are you from?" I asked; I'd been meaning to ask for a while but had been preoccupied.

"Originally? I'm from America," he replied, still writing. "But I haven't been back in years."

"Do you miss it?" Ushio asked.

"Sometimes," he said with a smile. "But I have no regrets about coming to Japan; it's a beautiful country with a beautiful people."

I snorted. "Do you think I'm beautiful, then?"

"Nope," he quipped with a wink. "It's hard to explain; it's like the soul of the country is beautiful."

"Isn't America beautiful, too?" my daughter asked.

"Yes, but in a different way," he replied. "Have either of you ever been outside of Japan?"

Ushio and I looked at each other before I answered. "No, we've never really had a reason to."

"I think it'll make sense if you ever do," he said, leaning back and crossing his arms. "It's more of a sense than a sight. I understand that this is 'home' to you, so you might take some things for granted that a comparative outsider like myself might not."

"How long have you been here?" Ushio asked.

"Well, about twenty-five years off and on, but I've been here for the last ten years straight."

"Don't you miss home?" she asked.

He sighed heavily. "Japan is my home now; I'm grateful that the government eased up on their restrictions on immigration."

"Don't you have anyone back in America who'd miss you?" I asked.

"Not anymore," he replied in a solemn tone as he uncrossed his arms, his hands dropping into his lap. "My parents died ten years ago, and I have no brothers or sisters…or children."

"I'm sorry," Ushio said sadly.

I reflexively thought of Kyou. "Do you want any? Children, I mean?"

He gave me a sly grin. "Isn't this supposed to be about the two of you? All right, if it'll help you be more comfortable with me; I've rambled on enough anyway, so I may as well."

"I don't think you're rambling," my daughter said. "I like learning about other people."

"That's very sweet of you," he said with a warm smile. "Do I want children? Yes, I do. But I'm fifty-one years old; a little late for starting a family."

"But I learned that men produce sperm up…until…" Ushio trailed off with a blush and a glance at me.

"It's more than just the physical ability to reproduce," he said. "Like I said; I'm fifty-one and don't have the energy that I used to. Trying to keep up with a little one?" He shook his head with a chuckle. "I don't think I can do that anymore."

"I'm so sorry," she said sympathetically.

"Thank you, sweetheart," he said with a smile that looked…resigned? "But…I have my flock to take care of, which keeps me busy enough. But enough about me," he declared, clapping his hands. "Where were we? Rip Van Winkle?"

"Something like that?" Ushio giggled.

"We were talking about my wife," I reminded him. "She felt like a 'man out of time'."

"Right! Fevers! That's right!" He exclaimed, leaning forward again. "So she'd get these fevers every so often, and they'd last a long time?"

"Right," I confirmed. "Unfortunately, she developed one toward the end of her pregnancy, and we think it weakened her to the point where the birth…yeah…" I could feel the pinpricks in my eyes as I tried not to remember.

"And the doctors couldn't help her?" he asked.

"She didn't want to go to the hospital," I told him. "She wanted to give birth at home; it really meant a lot to her."

"Maybe I'm not understanding something about Japanese culture, here," he said with his hand raised, "but wouldn't the health of the mother take priority over any sentimental feelings?"

"I…was a pretty young man at the time," I said. "And we hadn't been married for that long, so I…"

"Tomoya-san…do you blame yourself for her death as well?"

Did I? "I've…never really thought about it, to be honest. I know that after she died, Pops and Sanae took care of Ushio while I fell apart."

"Who are they? Pops and…?"

"They're my grandparents, my mom's parents," I heard Ushio answer as I continued to turn the pastor's question over in my head. "I think they were at the hospital when Daddy went in for surgery."

"How long did they care for you?" he asked.

"About five years. Daddy took care of me after that."

"Tomoya-san?"

"Y-Yeah?" I said, blinking out of my thoughts.

"What…snapped you out of your…mindset?" he asked, his gaze fixed on me.

I looked over at Ushio with a smile. "Seeing Ushio again. And learning about my dad's situation." At his questioning look I explained, "My mom died when I was really young, leaving him to take care of me by himself."

"That must have been hard on him, losing his wife while having to be strong for his son," he said. "How old were you when she died?"

"I don't know," I said, feeling bitterness tart to creep in. "The old man never told me; instead he drank and smoked himself stupid and worked himself to death."

He gave me a puzzled look. "But, from what you've told me, that's what you did when your wife died. What's the difference?"

I suddenly saw red. "You know what? I know what you're trying to do! You're trying to make me into my dad, trying to tell me I'm no better than him!" He opened his mouth, but I wasn't going to give him the chance. "Well, you know what? Fuck you! Fuck you, and FUCK YOU!"

"D-Daddy!" I heard Ushio cry out.

"He was supposed to be the adult, not me! I was a child!" I yelled, pointing to myself. "And he broke my shoulder! He did it! And don't you tell me it was my fault, ever! And I didn't kill her!" Without another word, I ran from the room. Fortunately I had enough of my wits to find the main doors and slam my way out, surprising Pops and Sanae on the other side as they were coming up to the building. "She's in there!" I yelled, trying to point behind me. "And it's not my fault! He broke it!" I ran and ran and ran until I got home. I somehow got the keys out of my pocket and found the right one and unlocked the door on my first try; something about my anger gave me a clarity I didn't usually have.

I made sure to close the door quietly behind me to avoid any visits from nosy neighbors before locking the door with more force than necessary, then stormed down the hall to my room and threw myself to the floor, being careful of my arm.

* * *

My eyes fluttered open and I felt a little dizzy as I sat up, likely due to falling asleep at the wrong time of the day. I held my hand to my forehead to try to push the pain out and wondering why I woke up, considering how crummy I felt.

My unspoken question was answered by the ringing of my doorbell, and I grunted to my feet to stumble down the hall toward the living room. My dizziness started to dissipate as I reached the front door, and I ran my hand through my hair a couple of times before unlocking and opening the door.

Mika stood on my front porch, twintails and all. "Good afternoon, Okazaki-sa…are you okay?"

"I've been better," I said as I stepped aside to let her in. "Sorry you're not seeing me at my best."

"That's…okay," she said, stopping partway in to study me. "Can I make you some tea? The caffeine might help."

"Thanks," I said, shutting the door behind her before heading over to the kotatsu to carefully collapse in my spot. I watched her as she moved around the kitchen like a pro, gathering the components and firing up the stove to heat the water. "Please tell me you've had a good day," I nearly begged.

"I have!" she said as she turned to face me, leaning up against the counter. "We had an exam in math, which I passed with flying colors!"

"Hey, good for you," I said sincerely. "What level are you?"

"Calculus," she said, then ducked her head. "To be honest, though, I suck at math, so I studied really hard. This is the first time I've earned anything higher than a 'C' on a math exam."

"How do your parents feel about your math grades?" I asked, finally starting to feel more normal.

"Oh! That's right!" She headed toward me while pulling a slip of paper from her coat pocket. "Dad asked me to give this to you."

"What is it?" I asked as I accepted the slip. I opened it to find a phone number. "Oh, that's right! He wanted to give this to me over the phone, but…yeah." I waved the slip at her. "Thanks, Mika-san."

"You're welcome!" she chirped. "They're fine with my grades, actually; they know how much and how hard I study, so they're patient with me. I even gave up club so I could study."

"That's right," I said, remembering. "What club were you in?"

She tapped the floor with her toe, unable to look me in the eye. "The Volleyball Club."

"Aw, I'm sorry. Do you miss it?"

"I do," she admitted, meeting my gaze. "But I did it for fun, so it's not a big loss."

"But it's something you enjoy doing," I politely protested. "Life isn't all about work, work, work, you know."

"I know," she replied as she turned back to the stove. "But if I don't do well, that means I'll have fewer options when I go out into the work force."

"I wish I could help you," I sighed with no small amount of regret. "I wasted my time in high school, so I'm pretty useless."

"I don't think you're useless," she said. "I think you're a wonderful father to Shio-chan, and you must be a hard worker, right?"

"Wonderful father…?" I started to feel sick as I remembered what had happened earlier in the day, running from the counseling session and effectively abandoning Ushio; I made a mental note to call her later. "I'm…not a very good father, Mika-san."

She gave me a concerned look, but said nothing as she brought over a steaming mug and placed it before me. "Here you go."

"Thanks," I said gratefully as I took up the mug in my good hand and took a sip. "Man, I don't know how you do it so consistently, but this tea is perfect again."

"Thank you," she said with a warm smile. "I hope the rest of your day….no, the rest of your week goes better."

I chuckled. "Considering this is Saturday, could I take a rain check on that until tomorrow?"

"Of course," she said with a giggle. "Now I feel kinda stupid."

"It's okay; I won't tell anyone if you won't," I said with a wink as I raised the mug to my mouth again. "Man, this is good."

"W-Well, while you're working on that, I'll go work on your dinner," she said as she headed back to the kitchen. "I might need to pick up a few things before coming over tomorrow, though; you're starting to run low on ingredients."

"Give me the receipts for anything you pick up and I'll make sure to pay you back," I told her.

"I'll do that," she replied before opening the freezer.

As she worked I sipped at my tea and thought about my actions at the counseling session earlier that day. I hadn't used profanities like that in years, so why did I unload on the pastor like that? "He was trying to blame me for what happened," I mumbled.

"I'm sorry, did you say something?" Mika called from the kitchen.

"Just thinking out loud," I said. "Sorry if I bothered you."

"Not at all." She placed a pot on the stovetop and turned on the appropriate burner. Then, she carefully added some egg noodles to the water before retrieving what appeared to be the basil. She sprinkled some of whatever it was into the pot and let it cook. After getting out some beef and setting it on the counter, she headed back out to the living room; for some reason, she looked awkward. "Would…you mind some company for dinner? I'd hate to leave you alone if you've had a rough day."

"What about your parents?" I asked. "And your studies?"

"I could call them and ask permission," she said. "And I've done my studies for the week."

I mulled this over. "Not this time, but thanks for offering. I…wasn't a very nice person earlier, so I'm probably not safe to be around right now."

"O-Okay," she replied, looking understandably uncertain. "Are you sure you'd be okay alone?"

"No," I admitted. "But I wouldn't want anyone else around if I…relapse. Besides, I need to call Ushio and apologize."

"I understand," she replied, then bowed slightly before heading back to the kitchen. I leaned back to look out the window…then sighed as I got up to open the curtain.

* * *

"So your dinner is in the fridge like usual, in the white container," Mika explained as she got her coat on. "Just heat it at sixty percent for three minutes."

"Got it," I said, making a mental note. "Thanks again, Mika-san."

"You're welcome," she said with a smile that faltered as she broke my gaze. "Before I go, could I do one more thing for you?"

"What's that?"

"Could I give you a hug?" she asked, and then her face paled. "I-I'm sorry! Now that I've asked, it sounds inappropriate!"

"Don't worry about it," I said comfortingly as I opened the door. "Have a safe trip home."

The poor, embarrassed girl could only bow before hurrying out my door, and I smiled as I imagined what she must have been feeling. "Good job, you two," I said, thinking of Mika's parents. "You raised a very compassionate girl." I headed over to retrieve my phone and called the Hiiragis.

" _Good evening, Tomoya-san,"_ Ryou's voice greeted.

"Finally got me in your caller ID, huh?" I teased. "Good evening, Ryou. This is my 'Mika-san's on her way home' call."

" _Ah, good. Thank you."_

"Listen, Ryou, um…" I wasn't sure how to phrase what I wanted to say. "I thought you should know that your daughter offered to stay for dinner. She…found out I had a rough day and didn't want to leave me alone. By myself, I mean."

" _I see…"_

"I guess I wanted to let you know and tell you that I think you've done a great job in raising such a thoughtful, caring girl."

" _Th-Thank you. She never talked with us about staying there for dinner, though."_

"Please don't punish her on my account," I begged. "Like I said; I'd had a rough day, and I guess she wanted to make sure I was okay. I'm grateful, even though I turned her down."

" _I understand. Well, thanks for letting me know."_

I hesitated, but… "There's something else I think you should know, just for…what's it called? Full disclosure? Yeah." Had I the extra hand, I would have rubbed the back of my neck. "Just before she left, she offered me…well…a hug."

" _She did?"_ Ryou asked, sounding surprised.

"Don't worry, I turned that down, too," I said quickly. "I mean, I appreciated the gesture, but I thought it wasn't appropriate." I chuckled. "Apparently she didn't either, at least after she offered. I just thought you should know. Like I said, please don't punish her on my account; I know she was trying to be helpful."

" _I don't see any need to discipline her over this,"_ Ryou said, much to my relief. _"We_ _will_ _have to talk with her about it, though. She didn't call for permission, for one."_

"She would have," I told her. "She told me that she would call you if I accepted her offer to stay for dinner."

" _Okay, good,"_ she said thoughtfully. _"Is there anything else Kappei and I should know?"_

"No, I think that's it. Thanks for letting her come over, Ryou; she's been a huge help. Thank your husband for me, too."

" _I'll do that. And thank you for your kind words; it's nice to know that our hard work has paid off."_

"Well I'm grateful," I said, not sure what else to say. "Anyway, I'm sorry but I've gotta go; I need to call my daughter."

" _Okay. Tell her 'hi' from us."_

"I will. Take care."

" _You, too."_

I ended the call and immediately dialed the number for Furukawa Bakery. A few rings, then: _"Hello?"_

"Hi, Mom," I said, suddenly feeling self-conscious in light of my earlier behavior.

" _Tomoya-san!"_ she exclaimed. _"Are you all right?"_ At least she wasn't mad at me, and it occurred to me that it was a good thing that Pops hadn't been the one to answer the phone.

"I think I'm okay," I said. "Sorry about earlier."

" _Shio-chan told us you were quite upset at your session. What happened?"_

"I…" I bit my lip. What could I say? "I'm really not comfortable talking about it, but… I'm sorry for yelling at you and Pops like that, and I'll make sure it never happens again."

" _No apology is needed, but I'll forgive you anyway,"_ she said in her uniquely motherly tone. _"Akio and I could tell that you were very upset, so we don't hold it against you."_

"Yeah, something the pastor said set me off."

" _May I ask what he said?"_

"He…tried to blame me for breaking my shoulder and for Nagisa's death," I told her.

" _Really? That's odd…Shio-chan told us that he asked what the difference was between you and your father."_

"Well, she probably…waitaminute…" I was about to say 'she probably doesn't remember right', but… "Now that you say that, I do remember him saying something like that."

" _It doesn't sound like he was trying to blame you for anything."_

"You might be right…" I murmured. "So…why would I react the way that I did?"

" _I don't know."_

"Could I talk to Ushio?" I asked. "I think I need to get my facts straight."

" _Of course."_ I heard the phone put down, the footsteps, and I chuckled at the realization that my in-laws were still using a land line.

I sobered, though, as I heard the phone picked up. _"H-Hi, Daddy."_

"Hey, sweetie," I greeted warmly. "Sorry about earlier."

" _Are you okay?"_ she asked, and I could hear her voice trembling over the line. _"You were really angry and you scared me."_

"I'm really sorry about that," I said. "I'm not sure if I'm okay or not. Listen, can I ask you a question?"

" _O-Okay."_

I took a deep breath. "Do you remember what the last thing was that the pastor said before I…exploded?"

I was relieved to hear a giggle from the other end. _"I don't remember it exactly, but he said something about your behavior being like Grandpa Okazaki's, and then he asked you about the difference between the two of you."_

He had said something like that, so why did I blow up the way I did? "Okay. Thanks, sweetie. I guess I have some thinking to do, huh?"

" _If you say so, Daddy."_ A brief pause, then: _"I miss you."_

"Thanks, I miss me, too," I joked. "Maybe when I find me we can celebrate."

" _You're funny,"_ she giggled. _"Oh! I meant to ask; How's your shoulder? I know we talked about it a bit this morning, but…"_

"I did give more of an overview, didn't I?" I said. "Well, it's doing fine. They took an X-ray of it 'cause it was itching and kinda achy, and he saw some growth in there."

" _That's wonderful! Muscle or tendon?"_

"A little bit of both, if I understood what he was saying, but I think it's mainly muscle."

" _It's exciting, isn't it? Your shoulder will grow back, and you'll twirl me!"_

"You're really looking forward to that, aren't you?" I chuckled.

" _I am,"_ she giggled, then grew quiet. _"Listen, I'm…I'm sorry for hurting you. And…I'm sorry for all the weird things I did."_

"They weren't really weird weird," I told her. "They were just…I was just the wrong person."

" _I know,"_ she said with a heavy sigh.

"Anyway, I forgive you. At least now I understand why you were doing what you were doing." I was about to thank her for thinking of me, but thought better of it. "We should hold off on talking about this any more until our next counseling session, okay?"

" _So you're going to the next one?"_ she asked excitedly.

Was I? "Yeah…I guess I am…huh. Though, I never really thought about not going, but now that you bring it up…huh."

" _Are you okay, Daddy?"_

"No…No, I'm not. I'm pretty messed up right now, so it's a good thing I'm going to counseling, I guess."

" _You're so funny,"_ she giggled.

"Thanks," I said as I glanced at the clock. "Listen, sweetie, I need to go. It's almost six, and I have dinner to reheat."

" _Reheat?"_

"Didn't I tell you? Mika-san's been stopping by to make dinner for me."

" _Oh._ _I forgot._ _"_

"She stops by long enough to prep it before heading home."

" _Isn't that kinda out-of-the-way, though?"_

"Apparently I'm not too far off her usual path to the station," I told her. "And she's used to heading home this late 'cause she used to be in the Volleyball Club."

" _Really? That's pretty neat."_ For some reason, she sounded anxious. _"Anyway, I'll let you go so you can eat."_

"Sweetie? You okay?"

" _I'm a little jealous,"_ she admitted with an embarrassed chuckle. _"But I'm glad you're able to eat well. Enjoy your dinner."_

"Thanks. Don't worry; I'll be eating your cooking again before you know it."

" _I look forward to it. G…Good night, Daddy."_

"Good night, sweetie."

I ended the call, then headed to the kitchen. A few minutes later, I was enjoying a delicious home-cooked meal, though I still felt a little lonely.


	16. Ups and Downs

**Chapter Sixteen: Ups and Downs**

I shifted my weight form foot to foot as I waited for the train that would take me to the next town and, by extension, the hospital where I would receive my next stim treatment. Even though I'd been wearing the harness for a while, I was still tired of the glances and outright stares I'd receive from other people. There were times where I just wanted to shout 'I'm a cripple, okay?' just to stop the attention.

At least this was going to be a normal Saturday: I'd have my stim treatment at the hospital, then head back home to have lunch before heading out to my counseling appointment with Ushio. After that I'd head back home and relax for a bit before Mika would arrive to make dinner for me.

I crossed my arms…doggone it, arm as I thought about my situation with Pastor Ashton. I'd considered that I was just overthinking it, but I still felt that an apology was necessary. I still couldn't figure out how I had gotten from his question to my 'answer', which bugged me to no end. "Maybe I heard what I expected to hear…?"

My thoughts were interrupted by the train pulling into the station, and I looked inside to see how crowded it was. Since I was effectively missing an arm, I needed to be able to sit down; of course I'd be able to hold onto a pole or strap if necessary, but I didn't have any other way to steady myself if I was bumped or the train rocked.

Finally, the train stopped, one of its many sets of doors appearing before me, and I waited as the doors slid open, allowing several passengers to get off. After the last person passed, I got onboard. Fortunately the trains weren't as crowded on Saturdays, and I was able to find a seat easily. As always, I looked out the window as the train picked up speed, and my mind went back to many years prior, when I would use the train to travel from job interview to job interview while most of my former classmates were getting ready for university. I looked down at my harnessed arm and thought about how different my life could have been had my old man not busted my shoulder.

The train slowed into the next station, shuddering to a stop, and I watched as passengers got off and other passengers got on, and I started to wonder: Where were all these people going? I figured some of them were going to work, but what about the others? Were they going shopping? An appointment like I was? Maybe to visit family? Or maybe…? I shook my head, realizing that I hadn't thought like that in a long time. While thinking philosophically felt comfortable, it also seemed a little alien.

"Okazaki-sama?" I looked toward the source of the voice to find Mika looking down at me with a smile. "It is you! Hi!"

"Hey, Mika-san," I greeted as I started to my feet.

"Oh, please don't get up," she said as she placed a hand on my chest, keeping me in my seat. "There's plenty of seats, and I wouldn't want to you hurt yourself." She glanced at the empty bench next to me. "May I sit with you?"

"Be my guest," I said. "I don't own it, after all."

She giggled as she sat down, leaving one seat between us as she fixed her gaze on me. "Are you going to the hospital today?"

"Yup, Saturday stim," I replied, glancing out the window before remembering my manners and returning my gaze to her. "What has you out and about today?"

"I'm going to surprise Mom at work," she said, patting a bag in her lap. "She usually has lunch in the late morning, so I thought it'd be neat if we could have lunch together."

"Did you make that yourself?" I asked, eyeing the bag and wondering what she'd made.

"Yup!" she chirped. "Well, with Aunt Kyou's help; she taught me a new recipe this morning."

"That's good."

I realized that I'd been staring at the bag too long, and quickly looked back up to see her smiling slyly at me. "You want some, don't you Okazaki-sama?"

"I'd…be lying if I said 'no'," I admitted. "I've really been grateful for your cooking. Ushio's a good cook, but…"

"How is she?" Mika asked. "I've seen her at school, and we've talked a bit, but she doesn't talk about how things are at home."

"Well, I'm not sure, either, since she lives with her grandparents right now," I told her, then grinned. "Are you being a good big sister, Mika-san?"

"She just seems like such a nice girl that it hurts to know that she's hurting," she replied with a duck of her head.

"Yeah, she is a nice girl," I murmured. "I think she's doing fine; she's responded better to the counseling than I have."

"What do you mean?"

I ducked my head several times in response to feeling more than a little awkward. "Well, you know I kinda blew up at the counselor last week."

"Yeah, but you've had a rough life," she pointed out. "Isn't it possible that you've been carrying your hurt for a very long time?"

"That's true," I conceded. "I did have a pretty bad attitude in high school."

"How come?"

I opened my mouth to reply but caught myself. "Mika-san, I don't think it's appropriate for me to talk to someone your age about these things."

"But-"

"I'm glad you're concerned about me, but you have enough worries of your own to deal with; you shouldn't have to worry about mine."

She cast her gaze down to her lap. "I…I understand. I'm sorry."

"Don't be," I said, reaching out to pat her clasped hands. "You're a very kind girl, going out of your way to take care of someone like me. In fact, when I talked to your mom a few nights ago to let her know you were on our way home, I congratulated her – thanked her, really – for raising such a compassionate girl."

"Thank you," she replied in a tiny voice.

"So, what are your plans for today? I know you're hanging out with Ry-with your mom for lunch, but what about the rest of the day?"

"I plan on going to the park near your place later in the afternoon," she said. "I'll just go for a walk and enjoy the scenery until it's time to make dinner for you."

A thought occurred to me that had me gently smacking the side of my head. "You know, Mika-san, you don't have to come over every day; if you make two meals on Friday I could eat the other on Saturday. Three would take care of the weekend. They don't all have to be different, after all; I'm just grateful that you're taking the time to help me out, and I don't mind eating the same thing every day." I gestured at her. "Remember, you don't even have to do this in the first place."

"But I want to!" she insisted as she met my gaze. "You're a good man, Okazaki-sama, and you should have someone who is there for you when you're in trouble!" she looked back down at her lap. "I just wish I could do more…"

"You're doing plenty, Mika-san, and I'm really grateful. Thank you," I said, patting her hands again.

"Y-You're welcome."

We were quiet for the next few minutes until the train pulled into our stop, and we both got to our feet and headed toward the door. Since we were going to the same place we ended up walking together. Something about her demeanor bothered me, though. "Are you okay? I didn't mean to be harsh with you or anything."

"You weren't," she said with a shake of her head that sent her twintails waving. "I just…have a lot on my mind."

"I hope I didn't add to your problems."

"You didn't," she replied with another shake, then looked over at me with a smile that was obviously forced. "I'm okay."

"Okay…" I took her at her word, but still considered talking with her parents about it.

We were quiet the rest of the way to the hospital which, admittedly, wasn't very far. "Well, see you later," I said in farewell, then winked. "And thank you in advance for the delicious meal."

"Y-You're welcome," she said while giving me a tiny wave. "Good luck with your treatment. I look forward to hearing about it." She glanced over her shoulder a couple of times as she walked away, so I gave her wave of my own before heading to the lab for my next treatment.

* * *

I grimaced, rubbing at my shoulder as I passed through the main doors of the hospital to head home. The treatment had gone fine as always, but the increased mass in my shoulder was feeling itchy and achy more than usual. I was grateful for the progress, of course, but the discomfort was…well, uncomfortable. On the bright side, though, I was on track to losing the harness when Dr. Fujibayashi thought I would, in about two weeks. I'd still need the treatments after that, but at least I could start the physical therapy, limbering up and strengthening the new tissue as well as restoring lost muscle in my hand and arm. I hadn't exactly withered away, but I could tell that I'd lost some strength from lack of use.

As I approached the station I reached into my pocket for my pass, when I suddenly had a feeling that I was being followed. I didn't know that I was being followed; it was like those times in high school when I just knew to dodge, and ended up avoiding one of Kyou's book throws. I stopped and looked around, but didn't see anything out-of-the-ordinary. There were people around, of course, but none of them seemed to be acting suspiciously, so I started toward the train station again.

I got that feeling several more times as I passed through the turnstiles and boarded the train, but chalked it up to my shoulder irritating me more than usual as I took a seat.

The odd feeling left shortly before my stop, and I got off and headed for home. Once there, I went inside and beelined it for the kitchen; I only had a little over an hour before my counseling session and I still wasn't very fast one-handed. In spite of my handicap I was able to put a lunch together quickly, and sat myself down at the kotatsu to eat. As I ate I thought about what I should say to Pastor Ashton when I saw him; should I apologize? Or would he treat it as just part of the session?

I argued back-and-forth with myself until it was time for me to leave, so I left it up to fate as I wrestled into my coat and headed out the door. As I passed the nearby park I had to resist the temptation to stop in and see what Mika was doing; she was legally an adult and didn't need my worthless ass being nosy. As I headed away from the park I glanced behind me in response to a feeling of being followed again. That feeling stayed with me as I passed Furukawa Bakery and all the way up to the doors of the church.

Pops and Sanae had apparently just dropped Ushio off, as they were headed my way from the main doors. "Well hello, Tomoya-san!" Sanae greeted with her usual exuberance. "It's good to see you well!"

"Thanks, Mom," I replied, feeling my face heat up; of course I hadn't forgotten about my behavior from the last time I saw them. "Hey, Pops."

"Brat," he greeted, a smile tugging at one corner of his mouth; so, everything was fine as far as he was concerned. I internally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Shio-chan's already inside," Sanae told me. "We'll see you later."

"Just a minute, please," I said, stopping them. "I know this is going to sound weird, but…did you see anyone behind me when you saw me walking up just now?"

"No," she replied. "Why do you ask?"

"Just a feeling I've had for a while," I said. "It started shortly after I left home to come here…although I did feel it on the way to the train station from the hospital, too…"

"You're just paranoid," Pops decided.

"You're probably right," I chuckled. "Sorry to bother you with something so weird."

"Everyone gets anxious every once in a while," Sanae said as she patted my good shoulder. "You might be feeling self-conscious. Anyway, I believe Shio-chan and the pastor are waiting for you."

"Right," I replied with a quick bow before heading into the church.

"Down here, Tomoya-san!" I looked to find Ushio and the pastor down the usual hallway, both of them waving me down with smiles on their faces. In spite of my anxiety, I smiled as I followed them to the pastor's office.

We'd barely settled into our seats before pastor Ashton spoke: "There's something I'd like to get off my chest before we start," he said, then looked to me. "Tomoya-san? I'm very sorry if I hit a raw nerve last week. While it's my job to probe and help people deal with uncomfortable subjects, I truly didn't mean to needlessly hurt you and I apologize," he said, ending with a bow.

"Don't worry about it," I mumbled. "From what I've been told, I heard you all wrong and made assumptions. I'm sorry, too."

"No harm done," he said as he settled into his chair. "Does this mean that we can get started, then?"

"Sure," I grunted, still feeling a little self-conscious as I glanced over at my daughter.

"Ready!" she chirped as she gave me a big smile which lifted my spirits.

"So, I've gone over my notes from last time…" he said as he flipped through his notebook. "Shio-chan; where are you when it comes to your mother?"

She sighed as she thought about her answer. "I get that I didn't kill…Mom, but I still feel like I did," she finally answered.

"If it helps any, I've seen that quite a bit," he said with an understanding smile. "It's not unusual for one's head and heart to be out of alignment."

"What's that mean?" I asked.

"We can understand something as a fact, but our feelings insist on something otherwise," he tried to clarify.

"Yeah, I've felt that before," I said, pointing at him. "I can't think of any examples, but I think I get what you're talking about."

"Good, that makes things easier," he said, breathing a sigh of relief. "Shio-chan, I'm going to go out on a limb here and suggest that we need to do two things: One, we need to get your heart in line with your head; the heart is a great motivator but makes a lousy thinker."

"I think I understand," she giggled.

"Two, I think I we need to reset your relationship with your father. You've been working on becoming a wife to him for…how many years?"

"About four," she murmured with a blush.

"So you've been teaching yourself to think as his wife rather than his daughter; we need to work to change that back."

"Does…Does that mean I can't make meals for him anymore?" she asked, starting to tear up.

"It might mean that for a while," he said gently. "The problem is not so much what you're doing, but in what spirit you're doing it."

"I don't understand."

"Okay, for an example: When you make meals for him, it needs to come from the love a daughter has for her 'Daddy' rather than the love a wife has for her husband."

Her face scrunched up cutely as she thought. Finally, she said, "I think I understand."

"Good. Now, I'm not going to lie and say that this will be easy; it could be, but it might not. It depends, in part, on your self-awareness, maturity, and commitment to see this through."

"Okay…"

"Some of this should be taken care of by Step One; the realignment of the heart with the head."

"Is there some way I can help?" I asked, eager to be part of the solution.

He shifted his gaze to me. "Your job will be to be aware of when she's acting in a 'wifely' manner toward you and let her know she's doing it."

"That might be a challenge," I admitted. "Some of the stuff she does…I've just gotten used to it."

"Then you'll have to cultivate a self-awareness as well," he said gently, then leaned back in his chair. "I don't envy what the two of you will have to do over the next few months, but I believe that if you commit yourselves to this growth, you'll be father and daughter again before you know it." He leaned forward again, toward my daughter. "Shio-chan? Do you want to be his daughter or his wife?"

"H-His daughter," she shuddered, glancing at me repeatedly.

"And I assume you want your daughter back," he said, shifting his gaze to me again.

"Absolutely." Easy answer.

"So!" he exclaimed with a handclap. "You have both shown a commitment to change; now comes the hard part."

"What's that?" I asked.

He gave us both a sympathetic smile. "Doing it."

* * *

"Thanks, pastor," I said as the three of us stood on the stairs in front of the church's main doors. "I feel like we got a lot done today."

"That's because we did," he replied with a wink. "Just remember that this was the easy part; what's next will be more challenging."

"No, I got it," I said, then gave him a lopsided grin. "Thanks for the encouragement."

He laughed as he laid a hand on my shoulder. "I don't say stuff like that to be discouraging, Tomoya-san; just to keep you aware of the challenges ahead. For what it's worth, I believe the two of you can do it."

"Me, too," Ushio agreed. "I have faith in you, Daddy."

"Thanks, sweetie," I replied, her words warming my heart…I quickly double-checked that feeling and decided it was fine; for now, at least. "I believe in you, too."

"Keep up the good work, Tomoya-san," he said, clapping me on the shoulder and causing me to wonder if he somehow knew about my brief act of introspection.

"Oh, I'm so glad to see you two getting along!" We turned to see Sanae and Pops heading towards us. "After what I heard, I was a little worried!"

"It's all good now, Sanae-san," Pastor Ashton told her. "It was just your textbook misunderstanding, but that's all been cleared up." I felt a pause, and looked over to see him looking at me worriedly. "It has been cleared up, hasn't it?"

"As far as I'm concerned," I replied.

"Wonderful!"

"You ready to go, Ushio?" Pops asked.

"No!" she giggled as she grabbed onto my arm, setting off a bunch of alarms. "I want to talk to Daddy some more!"

"Thanks, sweetie," I said as I tried to shut down the alarms; the last thing I needed was to start panicking. "I need to get home, though; I have healing to do and a house to clean."

"I wish I could help you," she pouted, "but I understand."

"I see no reason why you couldn't come over for dinner sometime," Sanae suggested. "We would be right there, which should satisfy the court's requirements, yes?" she finished, looking to her husband.

"As far as I know, yeah," he grunted while pretending to stare daggers at me.

"I have no problem with it, of course," I said. "I'd just need enough advance notice so I can let Mika-san know so she doesn't try to come over."

I felt my arm squeezed a little more tightly, but nothing more.

"Well, let's go, Shio-chan," Sanae said gently. "Tomoya-san, you are more than welcome to walk us home."

I looked down at the girl snuggled against my arm and smiled. "Thanks, I think I'll do that."

"Looks like your kid wouldn't let you do anything else," Pops said with a lopsided grin.

"All right, let's go; I'd like to keep my one good arm," I joked before following my in-laws as they headed back toward home. "They're not making you work too hard, are they?" I asked Ushio as we followed her grandparents.

Her eyes widened, and then: "All…All the time!" she 'wailed' while trying to not smile. "Grandpa has me…scrubbing the floor of the shop from the time I get home until I go to bed!"

"I'm a regular scumbag, aren't I?" Pops quipped, causing Ushio and I to snicker.

"Now Akio-san; didn't I warn you about child-exploitation laws?" Sanae giggled as she patted his arm. "Maybe next time you'll listen to me."

"Yeah, yeah…" he grunted.

Fortunately for him, it didn't take us long to get to Furukawa Bakery and Ushio let go of my arm. "Have a good evening, Daddy," she said as she smiled up at me.

"You, too. Did you want me to call you after dinner?"

She sent her brown lengths waving with the shake of her head. "No, I think I'll be fine; I got to see you today, after all."

"All right, then. Have a good night." After kissing her on the forehead and waving at the in-laws, I turned and headed for home. As I walked, I thought about what Pastor Ashton had said about maintaining an awareness, and I wondered if I should have let her hold my arm the way she had. Thinking back, I remembered that she originally started doing that to practice 'being a wife', so I made a mental note to talk with her about it later.

I also started getting that nagging feeling that I was being followed…or at least watched. A quick glance around me showed no one around, which was relieving and unsettling at the same time. I finally made it to my house and managed to quickly unlock the front door and hurry inside to shut it behind me, and the feeling immediately went away. "Man, that's creepy," I said to my empty home.

A few minutes later, I was getting myself a glass of water when there was a knock at the door, and a glance at the clock gave me a pretty good idea who it would be. "Coming…" I quickly put the pitcher back in the fridge and headed over to the door.

"Good afternoon, Okazaki-sama," Mika greeted cheerfully when I opened the door.

"Good afternoon, Mika-san," I returned with a smile. "Good to see you again. Did you have a good lunch with your mom?"

"I did!" she chirped as we sat down at the kotatsu. "She was so surprised to see me!"

"That was the idea, wasn't it?"

"Yup! Between me and the lunch, I think we really made her day!"

"Well I think just having you there would have made her happy enough, but I'm glad the two of you had a good time."

"Thank you," she said shyly. "How did your treatment go?"

"Itchy," I said with a grin. At her puzzled expression I explained, "I've been progressing really well; it's just that the new tissue has been a little itchy and achy, more so than usual today. I asked the doctor about it, but he didn't seem worried." I rubbed at my shoulder. "Still itches and aches, though."

"Awww…" she giggled. "Would a high-protein meal help with that?"

"Doggone it," I grunted, snapping my fingers. "I forgot to ask about that. Again."

"Couldn't you just call them?" she suggested. "It's not too late, so you might be able to get hold of them."

"I hadn't thought of that," I admitted, scratching my head. "That's kind of embarrassing."

"Don't worry about it," she said, patting my arm. "Why don't you give them a call while I work on dinner?"

"Sounds good," I said. "Hopefully it's not too late."

"If it is, you can just leave a message with the nurse's station," she told me as she headed to the kitchen. "They can ask in the morning and get back to you. Mom has to do that all the time."

I nodded in acknowledgement as I picked up my phone and headed to my room; I didn't want to distract Mika while she was working. I didn't have the number in my phone, so I had to do an internet search for it. Once I found the number I gave it a call, and someone picked up right away. _"Hikaritani Hospital; How may I help you?"_

"Could I speak with Dr Fujibayashi in the Lab Department, please?"

" _Please hold; I'll see if he's available."_

In the end, I wasn't able to talk with Dr. Fujibayashi, but Dr. Mori was able to give me the information I needed. "Thanks, doc," I said. "I've been meaning to ask about this for weeks."

" _Don't worry about it, Okazaki-san,"_ he chuckled. _"You have a lot on your plate right now."_

"And it sounds like I'll have more," I joked. "Have a good day, doctor, and thanks again."

" _You, too. Take care."_

I ended the call, pocketing my phone as I headed down the hall back toward the living room, where Mika waited eagerly. "Well? Were you able to find out?"

"He said that protein would help with the muscles, but he also said that 'active enzymes' would be good for my tendons. He mentioned pineapple and papaya, but I can't remember the other names. Vitamin C is supposed to help, as well."

"I see," she said, nodding thoughtfully. "When I get home I'll talk to Mom about it; I might be able to find some information online, too." She briefly scanned the living room. "Do you have a computer?"

"No, but I should," I replied awkwardly. "Ushio asks every once in a while for one to help her with her homework, but it's…not in the budget right now."

"I see…" she repeated. "Well, at least I know to fill you up with protein and pineapple in the meantime! It shouldn't be too hard to add protein to your dinner, at least."

"I appreciate it, Mika-san; thanks for all your trouble."

"It's no trouble!" she said as she headed back into the kitchen. "Honestly, I enjoy the challenge."

I leaned back on my hand and looked out the window, only to find that I'd forgotten to open it again. I started to get up when the framed picture on a table next to the window caught my eye; it was a photo of Nagisa and I shortly after we got married. I smiled sadly at the good times we'd had, of the wedding and finding a place to live and finding out about the pregnancy and the pregnancy itself and…I bit my lip, straightening up to wipe the back of my hand across my eyes.

"Okazaki-sama? Are you okay?" I heard Mika approach from behind, but I couldn't face her with the mess I was turning into. "Are you crying?"

"Just…leave me alone, please," I said, still trying to avoid her gaze. "Just…give me a minute."

"Is…Is this your wife?" I heard her ask, and my eyes snapped up to see her reaching for the photo.

"DON'T TOUCH THAT!" I yelled, scrambling to my feet to smack her hand away, inches from the portrait.

"I…I'm sorry!" she wailed as she backed away from me.

"Don't you ever touch that again, do you hear me?!" I yelled, barely aware of her shrinking form.

"P-Please…I-I'm sorry… I really didn't know…"

Something about her tone stopped me, and I realized how I was acting. "Oh god, Mika-san, I am so sorry…." I said as she pressed against the wall across from me, trembling. "I shouldn't have yelled at you like that."

I took a step toward her with my hand extended in apology, but she crossed her arms and turned her back to me. "I…I need to go home, now…" she said in a shuddering voice.

"I understand," I said in the gentlest tone I'd ever used. "Just…please know how sorry I am."

"Good night, Okazaki-sama…" she sobbed as she grabbed her coat and fled from my home.

Dinner tasted awful that night.


	17. Dinner with the Family

**Chapter Seventeen: Dinner with the Family**

The next morning I grunted awake to the sound of my cell phone ringing, and I sighed as I saw it was from the Hiiragi residence. "Hel-"

" _Okazaki! I want to know_ _why_ _my daughter came home in tears last night!"_

"I can explain, Kappei. I was-"

" _My wife and I spent an hour – an_ _hour_ _, do you hear me? – trying to calm her down! It's a wonder she even got home safely with as upset as she was!"_

"It's my fault!" I yelled, hoping to stop the onslaught. "I lost my temper and scared her! I'm really sorry! Is she okay?"

I heard a scoff from the other end. _"Okazaki, what happened over there last night? This isn't like you."_

I took a deep breath. "Okay, I…I don't know if this'll make any sense, but she tried to touch a picture of my wife."

" _Go on."_

"I think that with my shoulder situation and the counseling and…I've never gotten over losing Nagisa… I guess with all that, I just snapped. I really wish I could tell you how sorry I am."

A sigh. _"Well, at least that explains why she said what she said."_

"Huh?"

" _Truth be told, I wanted to come over there and beat the hell out of you last night. But Mika talked me down, saying 'it's not his fault'. I gave you the benefit of the doubt, figuring she was talking about you."_

What a sweet girl; I scared her half to death, but she still… "I'm not going to ask to speak to her, but would you be willing to give her a message?"

" _Depends on what it is."_

"Fair enough; I've given you good reason to be cautious." I took a deep breath. "Could you just tell her that I was out of line, and that I'm really sorry for snapping at her like that? I've given her a good reason to not want to see my face again, so I will understand if she doesn't want to come over and help out anymore. Or if either you or Ryou don't want her to, for that matter."

" _Is that it?"_

"If there's anything more you think I should say, I'm open."

" _No, you sounded pretty manly there,"_ he said with a chuckle. _"It takes real courage to apologize to someone younger than you are. I respect you now even more than I used to."_

"Thanks. How is she?"

" _She's still kinda shaken up. Honestly, I think she feels bad for upsetting you; she just didn't expect you to react the way you did."_

"I didn't expect it either," I admitted. "I should talk to the pastor about that next week. Or call him."

" _I think if Ryou died I wouldn't want people messing with pictures of her, either."_

"Thanks," I said. "Thanks for understanding, Kappei. I still need to get my stuff worked out, though."

There was a long pause from the other end. Just when I was going to ask if he was still there he said, _"You want to come over for dinner tonight?"_

"Wh-What?" Had I heard him correctly?

" _Would you like to come over for dinner tonight? I think you need to get out of the house for a bit, and you and Ryou haven't talked history for a while."_

"Are you serious?" I asked. "What about Mika-san?"

" _We'll be here in case you try to yell at her again,"_ he said, and I could hear the smile in his tone. _"Seriously, though; knowing her, I think she'd like the chance to, uh…reconcile with you. I think that's what Kyou would call it."_

"A-All right; what time should I be there?"

" _Well, you know we eat around seven, so how about five?"_

"Sounds good," I said, then realized: "Wait a minute; I don't mean to tell you how to run your household, but shouldn't you check with your wife, first?"

" _Nah, it was her idea in the first place."_

"Seriously?"

" _She figured that, based on what Mika was saying, you must have been pretty stressed out so she suggested it this morning."_

"Then what was with all the yelling when you called?"

" _I still had to defend my daughter's honor, right?"_

"Fair enough," I conceded with a smile. "Thanks for understanding, Kappei. And thanks for not letting me off the hook so easily."

" _Hey, you have a daughter too, don't you? What are dads for?"_

My smile faded as I thought about Ushio. "Yeah…what are dads for?"

* * *

I grimaced at myself in the mirror; there was simply no way that I was going to be able to wear a tie with only one hand to tie it on. At least I was able to put on a nice, white shirt and blue slacks with a matching jacket. I had gotten better at dressing myself, to the point where I wondered how I'd do once I got my full range of motion back on my right arm.

Finally satisfied with my efforts, I gave my hair a couple more swipes with my comb before grunting at my reflection. "Well, let's get out of here." I grabbed my wallet and keys from the stand near the door, stepped onto the front porch and, after a bit of a struggle, locked the door. I then started down the road toward the train station. To my surprise, I didn't get the feeling that I was being followed.

One train ride and one walk later, I stood before the front door to the Hiiragi home. While still not a mansion, it was still impressive to someone like me who lived in an apartment. I reached out and, after a brief hesitation, knocked on the door.

About a minute late the door opened, revealing the family matriarch. "Good evening, Tomoya-san; it's good to see you again."

"Thanks," I replied self-consciously. "It's good to see you, too. Good evening."

"Won't you come in?" she invited, stepping aside as she did so.

I'd never been in their home, so I was a bit awestruck as I stepped through the doorway. "This…is a really nice place."

"Thank you!" boomed a familiar voice, and I had to resist cringing as Kappei came around a corner and extended his hand. He then blinked and withdrew his right hand to extend his left with an awkward chuckle. "Good to see you again, Okazaki," he greeted, and his eyes told me that he meant it.

"So…no hard fee-"

"None!" he declared with a broad smile before looking toward the back of the house. "Mika! Tadashi! We have company!"

I half-expected a thundering of footsteps before I remembered how old the 'kids' were. Instead I heard a soft padding of feet before Tadashi came from around a nearby corner. Based on the way he showed up I figured there was a flight of stairs on the other side. "Okazaki-sama!" he greeted with a bow. "It's a pleasure to see you again."

"Likewise," I said, still surprised at the boy's unusual level of maturity.

"I hope we're able to talk more this time," he said as his sister quietly appeared behind him, her eyes downturned. "I regret that we didn't get much of a chance during our visit."

"I'd like that," I replied, trying not to glance at Mika. "By the way; where's Kyou?"

"She's on a date, if you can believe it," Kappei said with a smirk.

"Kappei!" Ryou exclaimed with a smack to his arm. "How could you?"

I snapped my fingers at the return of a memory. "Hey, is it with Pastor Ashton by any chance?"

"Why, yes," Ryou replied with a puzzled look. "How did you know?"

"I didn't," I admitted with a shrug. "But I put two and two together."

"That's amazing!" Mika gushed, the quickly looked at the floor again.

I felt a gentle clap on my shoulder and I looked over at Kappei, who gave me a slight nod. "Well, shall we start dinner prep? Tadashi, could you give us a hand?" he asked as he and his wife left the entryway, presumably to go to the kitchen.

That left me alone with Mika. "Hi," I greeted.

"Hi."

"Are you okay?"

She forced a smile to her face as she looked up at me. "I'm still a little shaken, but I'm okay. I'm really sorry for what I did."

"I'm sorry as well," I told her. "I should have had better self-control than that; I'm thirty-six, for crying out loud."

"Y-Yeah…" she said, her smile fading before seeming to catch herself. "Oh! I…I mean, I forgive you of course."

"Thank you; I'm glad I haven't ruined our relationship."

"Not at all," she said with a shake of her head, and it was then that I realized that she didn't have her hair in its usual style.

"Hey, where are your twintails?" I asked.

"I usually just have it like that at school," she replied as she reached up to flip the purple lengths that cascaded down her back and over the front of her shoulders. Her hairstyle looked a bit like Kyou's, though Mika's seemed a little…fuller? "I've been thinking of changing it, though."

"How come?"

"It seems so…childish…" she replied, twirling a lock of hair between her fingers, reminding me of when we 'first' met. "It might be time for me to grow up, look more like a woman."

"That…makes sense," I said, treading carefully. "Well, it's your hair, so it's your choice. It looks nice either way, if that helps."

"Thank you," she said, blushing lightly. "I'd better go help with dinner."

"All right." I looked around briefly. "Um, where should I go?"

"Oh! That's right!" she exclaimed, her hand flying to her mouth. "Dad wanted to give us time to make up, so…wait here! I'll go get him!"

"All right," I replied, feeling a smile spread across my face.

She stared at me a moment longer before stepping forward to give me a quick hug. Then she hurried out of the room to find her father.

"What a nice girl," I murmured to myself.

Kappei joined me a minute later as I was studying one of the paintings in the entryway. "Did you get it all sorted?"

"Yeah, thanks for giving me the chance," I said humbly.

"It was for her as well," he informed me. "Come on; Tadashi's waiting for us in the study."

"I thought he was helping with dinner," I said as I started to follow him.

"Just needed to get him away for a minute," he replied over his shoulder. "You two needed the time, right?"

"Oh, right," I said, feeling a little stupid. "Thanks."

"You're welcome," he replied as he turned a corner into a small room full of books.

"Wow…" I breathed at the sight of the small library. "I don't mean to be rude, but you don't seem like the bookworm type."

"I'm not," he admitted, "but I have to keep up with the latest exercises, and it helps to be aware of the sport's history."

"I think I get it," I murmured, still awed.

"Come on; have a seat," he said gesturing to one of three chairs; Tadashi was occupying one already and Kappei was settling into another, leaving the last chair for me.

"Were you and Nee-san able to work things out?" Tadashi asked as I settled into my chair.

"Tadashi, he's our guest," Kappei said in a mildly scolding tone.

"Oh. I'm sorry, Okazaki-sama," the young man said, bowing in his seat. "I meant no disrespect; I've been very concerned about you."

"It's fine," I said, waving a hand. "She's family, so of course you'd be worried. Yeah, everything's fine, as far as I can tell, at least."

"That's good."

We looked at each other for a bit before Kappei chuckled. "I was planning to ask how your treatments have been going, but I just realized that I should wait until dinner; otherwise you'll end up answering the same question twice."

I chuckled as well. "True. I guess I can tell you that it's going fine and hold off on the details until dinner. There shouldn't be anything gross, so it should be fine. How's work?"

"Same as always," he said. "I go to a school, either a college or high school, do some coaching and pep-talking, then go on to the next, and so on."

"Do you ever run with any of them?" I asked.

"Sometimes," he replied with a wistful smile. "Man, I miss those days." He then seemed to catch himself. "Of course, I'm happy to be with Ryou and have my kids, but…"

"I think I understand," I said sympathetically, then looked to the younger Hiiragi. "How about you, Tadashi? How's life treating you?"

"Good, actually," he replied, tenting his hands. "I've been scoring well on my tests, and Mom has been helping me get ready for high school."

"Aren't you helping?" I asked Kappei.

"I didn't go to Hikarizaka," he said. "Ryou's helping him prepare specifically for that school."

"That makes sense." My old high school was geared toward preparation for college, so I assumed that it had something to do with that. "How's that going, then?"

"It's just paperwork right now," Tadashi replied. "I can take care of most of it, but there's some stuff that Mom has to fill out, parent-type stuff, you know."

"Right," I said, remembering back to Ushio's admission paperwork. I was still impressed by the boy's relative maturity.

Just then, the door opened, and Mika stuck her head in. "Dinner's ready," she announced.

"Well, gentlemen; shall we go?" Kappei said, getting to his feet, Tadashi and I following suit. "Okazaki, so far you've had a slight sampling of what Hiiragi women can do with food prep. Tonight, however, be ready to be amazed."

"I'll consider myself warned," I said with a smirk as I followed him out of the study.

He led me into their dining room, where Ryou was just putting a steaming dish on the table. "Go ahead and have a seat," she told us. "This is pretty much it."

"Need any help bringing stuff out?" Kappei asked.

"No, thank you; I think we're okay," his wife replied, then looked over her shoulder. "Mika, could you bring out a couple of extra forks?"

"Forks?" I asked.

"We're trying an Italian dish tonight," Kappei said as he rubbed his hands together.

"It's nothing fancy," Ryou added. "It's spaghetti with meatballs and a tomato sauce."

"Still sounds good," I remarked, my mouth starting to water at the smell of meat.

"Then I hope you like it," she said, her voice tinier than usual.

Kappei moved to the head of the table and sat, then gestured to the seat to his right. "Right here, Okazaki."

"Thanks," I said, humbled by the gesture as I headed over to sit in the proffered seat. Tadashi took a seat at the end opposite his dad, and when everyone was finally settled in Ryou sat across from me, while Mika sat in the chair next to me. We then put our hands together. _"Itadakimasu."_

"So, where does Kyou usually sit?" I asked out of pure curiosity.

"Where you are," Ryou replied as she took her husband's plate and started serving the noodles.

"So," Kappei started, drawing my attention, "how are the treatments going? You told me that they're going fine, but I want details!" he declared with a broad smile. "You know I went through a cryo treatment for my cancer about a couple of decades ago, right?"

I did remember Ryou telling me something like that. "Yeah, I know about that. Was it really bad?"

"They were talking about amputating both my legs," he said matter-of-factly. "Fortunately, I didn't let my emotions get the better of me, and Nurse Fujibayashi here told me about an experimental procedure, and I…well, I eventually went with it."

"And I'm so glad you did," Ryou said as she passed him his plate.

"So, how's the shoulder?" he asked eagerly before taking a bite of his dinner.

"Actually, it's going really well," I replied as Ryou loaded up her own plate. "It started off pretty slow, but I've progressed to the point where the doc thinks I should be able to lose the harness in about a couple of weeks."

"How wonderful!" Ryou exclaimed as she passed the noodles to her son. "You must be excited."

"I am," I admitted, "but I don't want to get too excited just in case it doesn't work out."

"But you've come so far," Mika said, startling me. "It'd be sad if it didn't work."

"Well, that's just life sometimes," I told her. "Sometimes we do our best and still fail."

"I know, but…"

I saw the look of distress on her face and mentally kicked myself. "Sorry, I don't mean to bring down the mood."

"It's understandable," Ryou said softly. "We know you've been through a lot."

"Okazaki-sama?" Tadashi said, drawing my attention. "Forgive me if I'm out of line, but I've read that having a negative attitude can have an equally negative effect on whatever one's trying to accomplish."

"I know," I sighed. "But success makes more success, and I'm just waiting for some kind of success to build off of."

The teenager thought about it, then nodded once.

"So what about this last treatment?" Kappei asked. "What made the doctor say you could get rid of the harness?"

"Apparently I've had a pretty good increase in the amount of muscles and tendon in my shoulder," I replied, turning to gesture to Mika. "In fact, your daughter here…asked…" I trailed off as I saw her filling my plate with noodles. "Um…Mika-san?"

Her gaze snapped up to mine, and her eyes widened. "Oh! I-I'm sorry! I was…I was trying to help!"

"Well, thanks," I said. "I appreciate it; you just…surprised me, I guess."

"Is this okay?" she asked, her voice sounding almost as tiny as her mom's.

"You okay with it, Dad?" I asked half-jokingly as I looked to Kappei.

"That's between the two of you," he said with a shrug.

"May I?" she asked as she spooned more noodles on to my plate.

I chuckled helplessly. "Well, since you're already halfway there, sure. Thank you."

"Is this enough?" she asked, showing me my plate.

"That should be plenty, thanks," I told her. As she continued to build my plate I turned back to Kappei. "What was I saying? Oh, right; the, uh, rate of increase has gone up, and I've been really itchy and achy lately."

"I'll bet," Ryou said sympathetically.

"But the muscles and tendons have been growing back, right?" Kappei asked before taking another bite of his dinner; how he could talk about stuff like this over dinner without anyone losing their appetite, I'd probably never know. Maybe due to his wife being a nurse.

"Right," I replied, trying to ignore a feeling of nausea as Mika set my completed plate before me.

"Maybe we should talk about something else now," Ryou suggested with a giggle. "Our guest appears to be having trouble with the topic."

"Guilty," I admitted. "I don't normally talk about stuff like this at mealtime."

"Fair enough," Kappei said as the kids snickered.

"How's Kyou doing?" I asked. "We haven't talked in a while, and I'm wondering how her job situation's going… and her relationship with Pastor Ashton."

"Ah, are you jealous?" Kappei teased.

"Dad!" Mika protested. "They're good friends! Of course he's going to want to know!"

"I know, I know, relax," he said, holding up his hands in surrender. "I'd better be careful, or my own daughter will turn against me!"

"She's doing fine, overall," Ryou answered. "She's been studying to get caught up on any teaching tools she missed during her absence and has sent out several resumes."

"Any responses yet?"

"None yet, no. But it's still early, and I think she still has what it takes to be a great teacher."

"I think so, too."

"As far as her and the pastor, she's been pretty tight-lipped about it," Kappei explained. "She goes out and comes back happier, so I figure they're doing all right."

"That's good," I grunted. "After what she's been through, she deserves some happiness. A lot of happiness, actually."

"Would Aunt Kyou have to join his religion if they wanted to marry?" Mika asked.

"Most likely," her brother replied. "Otherwise you can end up with conflicting philosophies."

"What is it with this kid?" I blurted, gesturing toward Tadashi. "Is he really fifteen, or have you been pulling my leg?"

"He's really fifteen," Kappei replied, laughing. "I think he's just taken my focus on manliness to heart and tries to learn as much as he can about everything."

"Do you get straight A's in school?" I asked the teen-ager.

"No, sir," he replied easily. "I do work hard but, like everyone else, I have areas that I'm strong at and areas that I'm weak at."

I looked over at his parents. "Good job, you two."

"Thank you," Ryou replied with a blush, while Kappei simply smiled proudly.

A rattling at the door drew our attention, followed by the sound of unlocking, and Kyou joined us shortly after. "Heeeeey!"

"You're home early," Kappei said. "What happened?"

"He got an emergency caaaaallll!" she whined before sticking out her lower lip.

"You didn't seem too sad when you came in," I noted.

"Oh, hey Tomoya!" she said, her expression doing a full-180. "No, we had a blast. I just wish he hadn't gotten the call, but I understand; he's on-call pretty much all the time, so… I'm just thankful for the time we did get."

"Good for you, Kyou," Ryou said. "I'm happy for you."

"Hey, you're in my seat," Kyou 'humphed' as she nudged me in my good shoulder.

"Oh, that's right," I said, starting to my feet. "I'll mo-"

My movement, as well as my sentence, was stopped by Mika's gentle touch to my right arm. "W-Wait; you're a guest, Okazaki-sama. Besides, Aunt Kyou was just kidding, right? You were just kidding, right Aunt Kyou?"

"Of course!" Kyou replied. "It's no problem, really; I'll go get another chair."

"If you're sure…" I said, feeling a little uncertain.

"Oh hush, Tomoya." With that, she went around to the other side of the table and pulled up a chair that I hadn't noticed until that point; it wasn't as though I'd been casing the room for an escape or anything like that. "There!" she said, sliding in next to her sister. "So, what were you guys talking about?"

"We were talking about how much of a genius Tadashi is," I told her.

"I am not," the young man in question insisted. "I just study and do my homework like I'm supposed to."

"All right, all right," Kappei said with a smile and his hands up again. "Stop picking on my boy, Okazaki."

"Sorry about that, boss," I said, matching his smile.

"Would you like some more noodles, Okazaki-sama?" Mika offered.

I looked down at my plate, only to find that I still had a few bites left. "Let me finish what I have, and…we'll go from there," I said.

"Could I get you a couple more meatballs, then?" she followed up.

"Mika, let him eat his dinner," Ryou giggled. "If he needs or wants something, I'm sure he'll ask."

"O-Okay. I'm sorry; I didn't mean to be pushy."

"Real men don't mind being taken care of," Kappei declared, "but we need to be able to do it on our terms."

"Here we go again," Kyou said, burying her face in her hands.

"We don't want to be an unnecessary burden on those around us, especially since we need to be the ones that others rely on," he continued. "While it might sound like we're just trying to be controlling, the truth is that real men take care of others in part by not being unnecessary burdens or needlessly using up valuable resources that could be better used by those we are responsible for."

"Well said, Dad, if I may say so," Tadashi said with clear admiration.

"Wow, Kappei; that's…really profound," I said, a bit awestruck by his words.

"Do you think that way, too?" Mika asked, drawing my attention again.

"Well, yeah…I think." I needed a moment to pull my thoughts together. "I've never really thought of it that way, but what your dad said describes the way I think almost to a T."

"Good grief," Kyou muffled from behind her hands.

"You can be excused if you want," I told her in a patronizing tone. "Just make sure you play quietly."

Kyou dropped her hands with a look of shock as Kappei and Ryou laughed and giggled respectively.

"Seriously, Tomoya?" Kyou huffed, though I could tell it was halfhearted. "You're going to come into my home and talk to me like that?"

"No," I said, "I'm going to come into your sister's home and talk to you like that."

"Well, I never…!" she huffed again as the kids snickered.

"Well, maybe you should, sometime," I retorted as the Hiiragis completely lost their composure.

Finally Kyou snorted into laughter herself. "You win, Tomoya," she chuckled while wagging a finger at me. "Just be glad I don't have a dictionary right now."

"Oh, I am," I said, chuckling as well. "Thanks for being a good sport about it."

"Don't mention it…really, don't." she replied with a smirk.

"Ah, you two," Kappei said as he dabbed his eyes with the back of his hand. "Thanks for the entertainment."

"Glad I could help," I said as we turned our attention back to our meal.

* * *

"Well, thanks for having me over," I said, struggling into my coat by the front door. "Dinner was really good, Ryou; thanks."

"I'm glad you liked it," she replied. "Mika was a huge help, though; I don't think it would have been as good without her."

"Mom!" Mika hissed before marching over to me. "Here, Okazaki-sama; let me help you with that."

"Oh, uh…thanks," I said, feeling a little awkward as she slid my coat onto my left arm and over my shoulders.

"I'd like to see him out, if nobody minds," Kyou announced.

"O-Of course," Ryou replied. "You don't even need to ask."

"Come on, Tomoya," Kyou said cheerfully as she carefully took me by the arm and led me out the door.

"Good night!" I managed to call out before my old friend could drag me too far away. She took me just off the Hiiragi's property, just out of sight of the front door on the other side of a large bush. "What's going on?" I asked after she released me.

"Tomoya, I'm going to shoot you straight, okay?" she said with an unusually serious expression.

"Um, okay. Did I do something wrong or something?"

"I don't think so," she said with a shake of her head. "I'd…just like to…after what happened with Shio-chan…"

"What's going on, Kyou?" I asked, starting to become concerned.

"It's about Mika…" she said while shifting her weight from foot to foot. "Now, I could be wrong, but…"

"But what?" I said. "What's going on?"

"God this is-" She cut herself off with a wave of her hands. "This is really awkward, and I really hope I'm wrong, but…" She fixed her gaze on mine. "I think… I think my niece likes you."

"What's awkward about that?" I asked. "I like her, too. She's a thoughtful, caring girl, and I'm grateful that she's willing to go out of her way to help out someone like me."

She shook her head with an expression of disbelief. "Jeez Tomoya, you can be so dense sometimes. All right, let me try again."

I waited patiently while she appeared to gather her thoughts.

"I think…" she said, slowly. "I think that Mika is in love with you."


	18. Life Comes At You Fast

**Chapter Eighteen: Life Comes At You Fast**

"Hey, Okazaki; you okay?"

I heard that question more than once as I tried to get through my work day. Kyou's revelation the night prior had me distracted – worried, really.

" _She talks about you all the time. I'm surprised that my sister or Kappei hasn't mentioned it to you."_

"Maybe she's just happy to be able to help someone else?" I suggested to myself yet again as I walked home from work, but the idea just refused to take hold. After my mental blindness with Ushio, I was becoming a little more cautious about my perceptions of things, particularly when they involved women. I pinched the bridge of my nose as I felt a headache come on. "What am I supposed to do if she comes over to make dinner?" I'd said 'if', but I knew full well that it would be a 'when', especially if what Kyou said was true.

I tried to ignore the throbbing in my temples as I unlocked the door to my apartment and went inside.

"Welcome home, Okazaki-sama!" I jumped, dropping my briefcase as Mika suddenly appeared before me, wearing the apron she usually wore when prepping dinner. "Would you like some tea?"

"H-How d-did you get in here?" I stammered while trying to get my heart rate closer to normal.

She giggled as she reached into the pocket of the apron to produce a key. "Shio-chan gave me her copy; she said that since she couldn't be here to help you, I could use it."

"Y-Yeah…"

"Don't worry, I'll give it back to her once she's able to move back in," she said as she pocketed the key again.

"Y-Yeah…" I repeated as I retrieved my briefcase. "Listen, uh…that's great, but…I wish you'd asked me about this first. I mean, this is my home after all, and Ushio's not responsible for the place."

Her expression fell almost immediately, making me feel a little guilty. "Oh, I'm sorry; I didn't think of that." She reached back into the apron and took out the key again. "Here, go ahead and take it; it's yours anyway, isn't it? I'm really sorry."

"Hold on a second," I said, my pulse finally returning to…well, more normal, considering what I knew about the girl before me. "Just…let me think for a minute."

"O-Okay…"

I considered the situation: She was coming over to help me out, so having a key to the apartment made sense. I didn't like it in light of what Kyou had told me, but it made sense nonetheless. If I could act as though I didn't know what I knew, then it might never become a problem. So I sighed. "Okay, fine; it isn't fair to make you wait outside for me when you're here to help, so fine."

"Th-Thank you," she said, and I could tell that she was trying to restrain herself. "I won't take advantage of this, I promise."

"You're welcome," I replied, wondering how she would take advantage of a comparatively lower-class family. "I would like tea, thanks, but do you need me for anything, or should I find something to do?"

"You can sit and relax, if you want," she said, waving at the kotatsu. "I'm sure you're tired after working so hard today."

"You're not wrong about that. Thanks." I trudged over to the kotatsu, dropping my case next to it before plopping down myself to finish recovering. Not just from work, but from my recent scare. "How's school going?" I asked, trying to distract myself.

"Fine."

Something about her tone had me concerned, though. "Are you sure everything's fine? You don't sound 'fine'."

She had a thoughtful look on her face as she brought the tea over. "Honestly, I've got a lot on my mind."

'Anything other than me?' was what I wanted to ask – just to get it out in the open – but I resisted. "What's bothering you?"

She put the tea before me, then sat down across from me. "I don't like keeping secrets from my parents, but…I need to talk to someone, so…"

"If you're thinking of hurting yourself, I'll have to tell them, you know," I said, thinking back to Pastor Ashton's disclaimer.

"It's not that!" she exclaimed, her gaze snapping up to mine. "It's…"

"It's okay," I said, forcing myself to reach out and pat her hand; I didn't want to treat her any differently than usual, after all. "You can talk to me."

"I know I can," she said, flashing a hesitant smile. "Maybe I'm making more of it than it is."

"So just tell me when you're ready," I said as I retrieved my mug. "I won't push."

After what seemed like a very long time, she finally spoke. "It's just that…I don't want to go to university anymore."

"Really?" I said, lowering my mug to the tabletop. "Why not?"

She glanced around nervously for some reason. "Well…I was talking to your daughter, and…and…"

"Relax, Mika-san; I'm not going to judge," I told her. "I've been judged enough to know what it feels like." I internally cringed at how she could take my next statement, but pushed forward. "I want to help if I can, and judging doesn't help. Judging unfairly, at least. I'll listen to what you have to say, and we'll go from there, all right?"

"A-All right," she said with an unreadable expression. Then she sat up straight. "The truth is that I don't want to go to university because I want…I want to get married."

"Married, huh?" I said, trying to muffle my alarms.

"Yeah, I want to get married while I'm still young and have kids. Then, after they grow up and move out, then I might go to university and earn a degree so I can get a good job and help my husband bring in income for retirement."

Her words sounded very familiar; they were almost the exact words that Ushio had used what seemed like a lifetime ago, but I decided to keep that to myself; Mika was the one who needed to work through the process, after all. "That seems well-thought out, but…what brought this on?"

"Well, like I said; I was talking to Shio-chan," she said, ducking her head with an awkward smile, "and we started talking about our futures. She told me about that, and I realized that that was a great idea. It made me think of Aunt Kyou, too; she might be marrying the pastor, but she'll be almost forty before she can have kids. I feel really bad for her."

"You know she originally married in her mid-twenties, right?"

"No, I understand her situation is different, I just…" She ducked her head again, this time looking away. "I guess I'll have to be very careful about who I marry."

"Sage advice for anyone," I remarked before taking another sip of my tea. "I think your idea's a good one, but I really think you need to talk to your parents about it; if they're expecting you to do certain things and you go and do another without talking to them first, it could be considered disrespectful, if nothing else."

"I know," she said. "I guess I just wanted to get my thoughts together, make sure that I wasn't just being selfish or anything."

"For what it's worth, I don't think you're being selfish," I told her. "If you're really okay with missing out on university for now…I think, in the long run, your kids will appreciate it; they'll have you when you have more of your energy to give. Your aunt Kyou is a regular dynamo, so I think she'll be fine."

I was relieved to see the high-schooler burst into giggles. "Thank you, Okazaki-sama."

"I'd also suggest that you marry an older….man…" I trailed off. Crap; I'd been so caught up in the flow of the conversation, I'd briefly forgotten what Kyou had told me about her…situation. "You'll want to find a man who's established," I quickly amended. "That way, you don't have to worry so much about finances."

"I…understand," she replied, starting to look uncomfortable. "I've…already given that some thought." She abruptly got to her feet and headed to the kitchen; even I could figure out what had likely made her uncomfortable. "I'm…gonna go work on dinner."

"Okay," I said, not wanting to make her even more uncomfortable. While she worked I thought about how best to handle the situation; until I knew for certain if she….whether Kyou was right or not, I thought it'd be best to try to continue on like normal…or at least as much as possible. Thinking of Kyou also made me think that the pastor might be a good one to talk to about the situation, just in case she was right. Better safe than sorry, after all.

* * *

"Well, it sounds like you've made some real progress," Pastor Ashton said warmly to a beaming Ushio. "I'll make a note in my report that I think you should be able to return home soon, but I'd like to give it a couple more sessions, just to be sure."

"Okay, pastor," she replied. "I understand."

He glanced up at the wall clock. "Well, it's not time yet, but I think we can kick out early this time. I'll be honest, young lady; when I first read the report, I thought you were going to put up quite a fight, but you've surprised me; pleasantly, that is."

"Th-Thank you," she blushed as she looked to her hands clasped in her lap.

"All right, then I'll see you two next week," he said, getting to his feet along with Ushio and myself.

Pops and Sanae were waiting in the entryway as we headed toward the exit. "Your granddaughter may not be living with you for much longer," he said with what appeared to be a disarming smile.

"In a way, that's too bad," Sanae said. "She's always a joy to have around."

"And she keeps the floor so clean!" Pops added with a lopsided grin.

"Grandpa…" Ushio giggled, then looked to me. "Will you walk me home, Daddy?"

"I…can't this time," I said. "I have something I need to do before I head home. I'll call later, though. Okay?"

"Okay," she said before giving me a peck on the cheek. "I love you and I'll talk to you later."

"I love you too, sweetie," I replied with a peck to her forehead. I then stood with the pastor and waved as the three of the headed for home. As they disappeared around the corner I turned to him. "Can I talk to you for a few minutes?"

"I had a feeling something was bothering you," he said as he opened the main door to the church. "Come on in." Instead of heading back to the office, though, he led me down a couple of short hallways, eventually entering what appeared to be a small kitchen. "Want some coffee?"

"Yes please," I replied as I took in the new room. As I had originally thought, it was a small kitchen, with a sink and a dishwasher, a stove with oven, as well as a small refrigerator. "Wow, you could live here with this setup."

"Actually, I do live here," he replied as he scooped the grounds into the coffeemaker. "My work is about fifty meters from my bed. Makes for a short commute…well, at least when I'm not performing my chaplain duties."

"Sounds nice."

"Go ahead and have a seat," he said, indicating a small table with two chairs, one on each side. "It should be ready in about a minute."

I took as seat as suggested. "How are you and Kyou getting along?" I asked to get more comfortable with the environment.

"Quite well, thank you," he replied as he turned to lean against the counter, next to the percolating pot. "Honestly, I thought that at fifty-one I'd be past dating, but then she came looking for her sister, and…" He chuckled. "Well, I suppose she's told you a bit about us."

"A little, yes," I admitted. "But I've tried not to pry; she and I are the same age, after all." I blinked as I remembered something about the man before me. "You said you're a widower, right?"

"That's right," he said, looking surprised. "Why?"

"I'm not sure how to ask, but…how long did you wait before dating again?"

"Well, I never really planned on dating again," he admitted as he turned to pour the coffee. "Jessica was my life – after Jesus, of course – so I never really felt the desire to remarry."

"So what changed your mind?"

"Your friend did," he said with a smile as he placed two steaming mugs on the table before sitting down. "I figured that, at my age, I'd live like Paul; satisfied with the life God has blessed me with. Then Kyou came along…"

"How did she change your mind?" I asked, intrigued.

"Does this have anything to do with what you want to talk about?" he asked as he brought his mug to his mouth.

"Maybe," I said. "I'm not sure, really."

"Well," he said, putting his mug back down, "something about her awakened my desire for companionship. I'm not precisely sure what it was, but as we talked I sensed a kindred spirit, if that makes any sense."

"Kinda. Even though she gave me a lot of crap back when she was a kindergarten teacher, I could see that she cared for her students a lot."

"She certainly has her way, doesn't she?" he said with a smile as he brought his mug up again.

"You could say that," I grunted.

"Anyway, we're doing fine, thank you," he finished. "So… What can I do for you?"

I sighed heavily as I ran my fingers through my hair several times. "I…might be in a situation…"

"'Might be'?" he echoed. "So it's not a problem just yet, but you're concerned that it could become one?"

"Yeah," I replied. "See, Kyou seems to think that her niece may…havefeelingsforme."

"Why is that a problem?" he asked with an honest expression.

"Well, one: I'm not interested in remarrying…or dating, even. I still miss Nagisa."

"Okay…"

"Two: She's the daughter of a friend of mine…"

"Okay…"

"And three: she's eighteen years old."

His eyebrows jumped, but he didn't show any other sign of surprise. "Anything more?"

I took a moment to think. "Nothing else I can think of right now."

He sighed, crossing his arms as he leaned back in his chair. "Phew, that could be an awkward situation. But you don't know for a fact that she desires you?"

"Not definitely, no. I guess what I'm looking for is…how to deal with the situation if she does like me…that way."

"How old are you again?"

"Thirty-six."

"Twice her age…" he mused as he rocked slightly in his seat with his gaze on the ceiling. "Eighteen year difference… And you said that Kyou told you?"

"Yeah. It was more of a hunch, though; I'm more concerned about this time, because she had a feeling about Ushio's situation and turned out to be right. I think she's trying to warn me before something potentially bad happens again."

"I could see that," he said with a thoughtful nod. "Do you think her parents know?"

"No, but it seems like they should have some idea," I told him. "Kyou told me that Mika talks about me all the time."

"That could be a bit of an exaggeration, but even then…" He sat back up again. "Right now, the main factor that I see is your lack of interest in dating again; that makes everything else moot."

"So if it comes up, I just tell her that 'Sorry, I'm not interested in dating'?"

"That's actually not as bad as it sounds," he said. "At least you're not rejecting her personally."

"That's true."

"If you don't mind me asking; how long ago was it that your wife died?"

"A little over sixteen years ago," I answered. "She died giving birth to Ushio."

"That's right," he said with a finger snap. "That's why your daughter thinks she…okay."

"Why do you ask, anyway?"

"I'm just wondering why you haven't had any interest in dating, even. What I mean, is…for example, I still miss Jessica, but I don't think she would want me old and alone. Goodness, she even apologized to me on her deathbed for leaving me so soon." His eyes started to lose focus. "What an amazing girl…"

"Sounds like it," I said, awed somewhat by his story. "I'm sorry for your loss."

"Huh? Oh, right!" He shook his head as though to clear it. "Sorry about that. Anyway…I'm not trying to convince you to remarry or anything like that, just to…allow it as a possibility."

"No thanks," I said. "I've had my happiness ripped away from me enough times, thank you very much."

"Yeah…I suppose it has," he said softly, and I was surprised at the level of sympathy I could hear.

I knew it was off-topic, but I had to ask. "Listen: Do you think it's my fault that my shoulder's busted?"

If he was surprised by the question, he sure was good at not showing it. "Tomoya-san, I simply don't know enough about your relationship with your father to say anything, so I don't think it's my place to say anything. Ideally, I'd want you both in the room together to give me a comprehensive view of the situation; you'll have your viewpoint, but he'll have his as well. You had your reasons for acting as you did, but he did as well."

I simply grunted; he had a point, to be sure.

"Do you really hate your old man that much?"

I bit back my initial reaction, knowing that it wouldn't do any good. "I don't know. It's been years since it happened. At this point I'm just…bitter, I guess."

"Do you think you could forgive him?"

"Forgive him?" I exclaimed, staring at him in disbelief. "But he hasn't apologized for it!"

He leaned forward, steepling his fingers. "Right now, you believe he owes you a debt, and you hurt because you haven't been able to collect. Do you understand?"

"I…I think so."

"You can forgive him even if he never pays you back. What that will mean is that you release your claim on him, but it also means that you will free yourself from his influence on your life."

"That…I don't understand."

"I don't know if there's an equivalent saying in Japan, but I've learned; 'Bitterness is drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die."

"What does that mean?"

"Any bitterness you carry does not hurt him beyond your poor treatment of him," he explained. "Now, I'm sure that your estrangement has hurt him in some way, but your bitterness only hurts you."

I'd never thought of it that way and admitted as such. "But…how am I supposed to forgive him? It's not like it'll give me my shoulder back."

"True," he acknowledged. "But it…how do I put this…? It sets your soul free. If you don't have to worry about collecting the debt, that's one less worry."

"It sounds like he gets away with it, then," I said, trying not to feel bitter.

"That's a tough one," he admitted. "As a Christian, I can say that if he doesn't repent of the way he treated you he'll have to answer to God for it. Since you're not a Christian…I guess I could say that you're very lucky to be getting the treatment you are," he finished, gesturing to my right shoulder.

"That's true…" I sighed as I let his words settle into my mind.

"If you'd like some kind of closure to this, I'd have no problem seeing your father as well; you might be able to put this behind you, at least."

"Maybe…"

"Tomoya-san; what do you want when it comes to your 'old man'?

I chuckled at his usage of my preferred term. "At this point…I'm not sure."

"It's been going on so long that it's taken on a life of its own?"

"Something like that."

"Well, just know that the offer's on the table," he said, leaning back in his chair again. "Of course it'll depend on his willingness, but…considering he was praying next to me while you were in surgery, I'd say the chances are pretty good."

"That's right; I remember Ushio saying something about that."

"I'm just hazarding a guess here, but he may have been praying for your shoulder in part to undo the damage he'd done so long ago. If that's true, then he may still feel pretty guilty about it."

I doubted it, but since I couldn't think of another reason… "That could be."

"Anyway, we've gotten off-topic. You wanted my thoughts about your situation potentially involving this young woman, and I think we've hit on the key point; your lack of desire to remarry. If that's the case, then it really doesn't matter who is interested in you, so you can move forward without needlessly hurting anyone's feelings."

"That's good to know," I said, though some part of my heart was starting to…ache?

* * *

I opened the door to my apartment, and passed through in to my home, and my eyes settled on the photo of Nagisa and I. I felt myself bite my lip as I made my way across the room to kneel down in front of the table it rested on and reached out and gingerly picked it up. I had rarely touched it since her death; the table had almost become a shrine, with her photo amongst a group of Big Dango Family plushies. I was surprised that none of our visitors had said anything about it; maybe Ushio had told them about her mother, so they had kept a respectful distance.

I traced my fingers along the edge of the simple wooden frame, and I started to feel the familiar pressure around my eyes, threatening to push out the liquid emotion. "Nagisa…" In many ways, it didn't seem like sixteen years, but at the same time it seemed like forever. Her scent had left the plushies long ago, and the light in my world had finally left at about the same time. Could I even remember her correctly anymore, her smell, the feel of her skin, the sound of her voice?

I hugged the frame tightly, squeezing my eyes shut and letting the tears flow yet again. The fact was, I'd never really grieved her death. I drank, I smoked, and I worked, but none of it ever took the pain away. Maybe I didn't want the pain to go away; it was all I had left of her…other than the photo and some plushies from happier times.

But now…alone…in my apartment…I'd never thought to…was this what it was like for Pastor Ashton so long ago? He'd lost his wife before Nagisa and I had ever met. How did he deal with the loss?

His god… But how could he still follow his god after something like that? I put these thoughts aside. I'd never thought to grieve, to mourn Nagisa's…death before, busying myself with drink, smokes, work, then Ushio.

But kneeling in my home, all alone, I finally allowed myself to mourn.

* * *

"Good evening, Okazaki-sama!" Mika greeted after I opened the door. "Can I make you some tea?"

"Yes, please," I said as she entered. "I could really… Yes, please."

Unfortunately, she caught something in my tone and stopped her trip to the kitchen to give me a worried look. "Are you okay?"

"I've…been better," I confessed. "I'm fine; I've just had kind of an emotional day, that's all."

"Well…if there's anything I can do to help, please tell me." With another concerned look, she turned and headed into the kitchen.

Part of me wanted her to stay for dinner, for the company, but my more sensible self told me not to take her up on anything; no sense causing needless problems, after all. "I'll be fine, but thanks for worrying about me."

"No problem," her voice echoed from the kitchen. "Go ahead and have a seat if you want."

I obeyed, heading over to the kotatsu as usual and plopping my butt down in front of it.

"Did you have your treatment today?" she asked, still from the kitchen.

"Yeah, I did," I replied. "In fact, it looks like the harness will be coming off next week."

"That's…good," she said with an interesting hesitation. "But…you'll still need physical therapy, right? Isn't that what you told me?"

"That's right, but I should be able to start doing small tasks with my right arm. In fact, I might be able to start making my own dinners before too long."

"That's…good."

"You looking forward to getting your time back?"

"Y-Yeah…"

"You can hang out with friends again, or just…do whatever you want. You'll be free again, though I guess you could be free any time, since you don't have to-"

"Please…" she interrupted with a surprisingly soft voice. "…please stop."

"Okay."

I kept my lip zipped as she brought out a steaming mug and placed it before me. "Be careful, it's pretty hot," she told me, and I could hear some pretty heavy emotion in her tone.

"Are you okay, Mika-san?" I asked; even though Kyou had given me an idea why she was acting like this, I still needed to play dumb until I knew for sure.

"I'm fine," she squeaked. "I'm sorry, just give me a minute." She left the room heading down the hall and, from the sound of it, into our bathroom. A moment later I heard blowing sounds, and she rejoined me a minute later. "Sorry, I was a little congested."

"Sounds like it. Are you okay, now?"

"I'm fine," she replied, giving me an obviously forced smile. "Okazaki-sama, I have a request."

"A request?" I echoed. "Okay…what is it?"

"Would you come to the Founder's Festival with me?"

I nearly spat out my tea but managed to swallow it. "Me? Why?"

She ducked her head with a blush. "Well, Mom and Dad are both working, and Aunt Kyou's going on a date…"

"She couldn't reschedule her date?" I asked incredulously.

"Pastor Ashton isn't available that often, so they try to go out when they can," she explained.

I smelled a set-up. "What about Ushio?"

She gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. "Oh, I am so sorry! I didn't think of that! Are you going with her already?"

"Well, no," I admitted. "We're still not to the point where she can move in, but the pastor's going to be putting in a recommendation."

"Oh, that's wonderful!" she exclaimed, her previous distress all but gone. "You'll be able to be a family again!"

"Y-Yeah…" I said lamely. "Look, I really don't think it'd be appropriate for me to go with you to this. I'll talk to your parents and see if either of them can get off from work or something. Maybe if they know that you're asking outside the family, one of them will find a way."

"Okay…" she said, her face falling again.

I sighed at her expression; if she tried anything funny at the festival, at least I'd know the truth and could go from there. "Mika-san…fine. I'll be talking to your parents first, though. If they really can't go and they're okay with it…I'll go with you."

Her face brightened up immediately; it was kinda creepy, really. "Oh, you will? Oh, thank you; you'll have a blast!" She threw her arms around me, excitedly hugging my neck.

"Y-Yeah," I said, awkwardly patting her shoulder while wondering if I'd made a mistake.


	19. Restorations

**Chapter Nineteen: Restorations**

I sat on the end of the table, feeling self-conscious; the doctors had asked me to take off my shirt so they could study my shoulder during the test. I'd already had my treatment, and it was time to see if I could go without the harness.

"Okay, so here's what I need you to do," Dr. Fujibayashi was saying as Drs. Mori and Miyamoto stood by my right shoulder. "First, I'm going to have you raise your right arm slowly, to about thirty degrees, and then I'll have you lower it. We'll do the same thing to forty-five, sixty and then ninety. If things seem to be going well, we'll try one-thirty-five. Do you understand?"

"I think so," I said, still distracted by my partial nakedness. "Couldn't one of you take off the lab coat or something? I'm feeling kinda vulnerable, here."

The four of us shared a friendly chuckle before Dr. Mori spoke. "Fair enough; I'm game." He then unbuttoned his lab coat and removed it, revealing a tan vest and white shirt with a tan tie. "That's as far as I can go, though; don't want a scandal or anything."

"Thanks, doc," I said with a chuckle. "I'm okay, actually, but thanks for humoring me."

"Are you ready, then?" Dr. Fujibayashi asked.

I took a deep breath. "Let's do it."

"Okay now; raise your right hand slowly to as close to thirty degrees as you can."

I could feel the new muscles protest as I did as I'd been instructed. "Is that right?" I asked, already feeling a little winded from the effort.

"That's fine," he replied while nodding approvingly. "Now bring it down slowly, please."

I did what he said.

"Now up to forty-five degrees. Again, slowly."

I could feel my arm shake a little as I brought my arm up, but I managed. "Okay?" I grunted.

"Good. And back down slowly…"

It took more effort to keep my arm from falling down, but I was able to lower it slowly to my side. "I'm beat; can I take a break?"

"In a minute," he said with a smile. "Now up to ninety."

"Slowly," I repeated as I started to lift my arm. It hurt, but not as bad as I thought it would. "Hey doc, I think it's working."

"It's certainly promising," Dr. Miyamoto said.

"Okay, back down now," Dr. Fujibayashi instructed.

It still hurt, but I managed to do it.

"Gentlemen, what do you think?" Dr. Fujibayashi asked the other two.

"I've seen no unusual distortion of the lateral deltoid," Dr. Mori said.

"The trapezoid seems stable as well," Dr. Miyamoto added.

Their collective gaze went to me. "What do you think?" Dr. Fujibayashi asked. "Do you think you're ready?"

"Why are you asking me?" I said. "You're the experts here."

'But you ultimately know how you feel," Dr. Mori told me.

I considered his words, then closed my eyes and focused on my right shoulder. It felt sore, but it felt more like a soreness from lack of use rather than an injury. So, I opened my eyes. "I want to try," I told them.

"Okay," Dr. Fujibayashi said, and I could tell that he was trying to contain his excitement. "So, slowly raise your arm to one-hundred and thirty-five degrees," he instructed, raising his own arm to demonstrate. "Mori, be ready to catch his arm if it gives out."

"Got it."

"Okay, Okazaki-san; whenever you're ready."

I took a deep breath; if I succeeded, I would be doing something that I hadn't been able to do in years. "And…liftoff," I said quietly as I started to raise my arm again. It passed thirty degrees, then forty-five, and I stopped at ninety.

"Take your time," Dr. Miyamoto encouraged.

I took another deep breath, only for it to sputter into tears as I lifted my arm above the level of my shoulder…without pain. "I don't believe it…" I shuddered. "It doesn't hurt… I don't… It's been twenty years since…"

My strength gave out as I broke down crying, and I could feel my arm cradled as it started to fall back to my side. I could then feel reassuring hands on my back and shoulders. I didn't care that I was half-naked; it felt so good to be touched by people who cared about me.

* * *

"Well done!" Dr. Fujibayashi exclaimed excitedly as I held my right hand up over my head. "How are you feeling?"

"A little stiff," I said as I brought my arm back down, slowly. "And…a little drained."

"Twenty years is a long time to be without your full range of motion," Dr. Miyamoto said quietly. "Ah, well; that's why people like us get into this profession."

"Hear, hear," Dr. Mori chimed in.

"Now this might sound like a setback, but I'd like you to wear the harness at night," Dr. Fujibayashi told me. "Your shoulder and arm are still very vulnerable right now, and will be until they've been strengthened enough."

"Understood," I said with a nod. "What about other times, like work?"

"I'd like you to have the harness off as much as possible from now on," he replied. "This will be partly at your discretion, though; if you start to feel pain, then secure it as soon as possible. If the pain is sharp or otherwise unusual, come see us immediately."

"Understood."

"Go ahead and get your stuff on, and we'll see you out."

I blinked; normally I'd see myself out, but this time… "You're seeing me out this time?"

"Why not?" Dr. Mori said with a handclap. "Today has seen a momentous occasion. We may not be able to take you to lunch or anything, but we would consider it an honor to see you to the entrance."

"An honor…" I liked the idea, to be sure, but I still felt a little awkward. Well… "Lead the way, guys," I said as I finished shrugging into my coat.

They walked with me to the entrance and blinked at the sunlight. "We need to get out more," Dr. Mori remarked. "It's a beautiful day."

"Agreed," Dr. Fujibayashi grunted. "Okay Okazaki-san, we'll want you to come for the next two to three Saturdays. After that we'll go to every other week, eventually to once a month."

"How long will that go on?" I asked, starting to feel overwhelmed.

"It'll be based on your progress," Dr. Miyamoto replied. "If your recovery is quick, we could be done in six months. In the end it'll be due to your level of commitment and the recuperative abilities of your body. We'll continue the stim treatments, of course, but they'll be more of a supplement than the main method of regeneration."

"I think I get it," I said, rotating my new shoulder and enjoying the feeling of pulling muscle fibers. "So I'll see you next week, then?"

"Next week," Dr. Fujibayashi confirmed, then turned to his associates. "Let's go for a walk, gentlemen; I think Okazaki-san isn't the only one who could use some fresh air."

The other two grunted their agreement, and the three of them headed toward a nearby park, waving as they left.

I smiled as I returned their gestures, then headed for the train station to head home.

As I neared the station, however, I got the feeling that I was being followed again. My shoulder didn't ache or itch, so the feeling worried me. I stopped and looked around, only to find nothing unusual; people were walking around, of course, but no one appeared to be acting suspicious. I shook my head to try and clear it as I continued to the station. I boarded the train and took a seat; with my shoulder the way it was, I still didn't want to rely on it for stability.

The nagging feeling left shortly before my stop, and I got off the train and headed home. Once there I let myself in, and after I shut the door behind me I just…stopped. I felt like I was looking at my home with new eyes as I looked around. And maybe I did have new eyes; getting my shoulder back made me a new man, in a sense. I was no longer burdened with the curse that had come with all those fights with my old man. I felt like the old Okazaki Tomoya was gone, and I had a chance to choose what the new Okazaki Tomoya would be like…

And then my eyes settled on the photo of Nagisa and I. I had married her when my shoulder was still busted; if I was a new Tomoya, did that mean that she was no longer part of me? Did I 'divorce' her as part of my recovery? Maybe I'd lost more than I gained by getting my shoulder fixed. I shook my head, filing the thoughts for later as I headed down the hall, into my room, and carefully rolled onto my futon for a much-needed nap.

* * *

I smiled as I pushed the door open to Furukawa Bakery. Even though I'd be seeing her in less than half an hour, I really wanted to show Ushio my arm before our appointment.

"Ah! Tomoya-san!" Sanae greeted from behind the register. "Are you here to see Shio-chan?"

"If you don't mind," I said. "I'd like to show her something before our session."

"Daddy!" I heard my daughter cry before she barreled out of the door at the back of the bakery, stopping just before she collided with me. "Hiiiiiii! What…What are you doing here?"

I said nothing, but smiled as I carefully raised my right arm above the level of my shoulder.

Her jaw dropped at almost the same rate. "You…It…It worked?!"

I still said nothing, but grunted a little as I continued to raise my arm, all the way up over my head.

Her hands flew to her mouth as her breathing quickened. "Oh…Ohmygosh…Daddy, you…."

"What is it?" Sanae said, stepping from behind the counter. "Oh my… Is…Is that your injured shoulder?"

"It was," I said, smile still in place.

"Oh Daddy…" Ushio whimpered. "I'm…so…happy…" She burst into tears and nearly fell into me, wrapping her arms around my waist as she cried.

I felt the pressure behind my eyes as well as I smiled over at Sanae. "I'm free," I said through a tightened throat.

"You are," she sniffed, tears spilling from her eyes as she reached out to rest her hand against my cheek.

"What's going on?" I looked up to see Pops standing just inside the bakery, bat on his shoulder. "Oh, your shoulder works again? That's good. You ready to play baseball for real, now?"

The three of us looked at each other before laughing more loudly than any of us probably had in a long time.

* * *

I smiled – smirked, almost – as I approached the doors to the church and knocked.

A minute later, one of the doors opened to reveal Pastor Ashton. "Ah, good afternoon, Tomoya-san! You're pretty early, but come in!"

"Thanks," I said as I carefully reached out with my right hand to take hold of the door.

"Oh…" he said, clearly noticing. "Your…shoulder works?"

"Yup," I grunted.

"That's just…" he gestured at me as I passed through the doorway. "That's just amazing. Good for you, Tomoya-san. I just can't find the words to express how happy I am for you." I saw him pat his chest several times. "I feel like the Grinch, when his heart grew threefold."

"The Grinch?" The name sounded familiar, but…

"Literary character. I just mean that my heart feels so big right now because of how happy I am for you."

"Oh. Well, thanks."

"So, how high can you raise it?"

I allowed myself to feel a little bit of pride as I carefully raised my hand up over my head for the third time that day.

"Praise Jesus…" he breathed as he looked up at my upstretched hand. "Thank you, Lord Jesus, for your knowledge and wisdom and mercy."

I wasn't sure what to say to that as I slowly lowered my hand again. "They, uh….The doctors, I mean… they want me to wear the harness at night when I'm sleeping, but otherwise they want me using my shoulder as much as possible to work on strengthening it."

"Good for you, Tomoya-san; I can't tell you how happy I am for you. This shoulder was injured a long time ago, right?"

"About twenty years ago, yeah."

"How does it make you feel, having your range of movement back?" he asked, still studying my shoulder.

"To be honest, I cried like a baby when I raised my arm above the level of my shoulder," I admitted with a teary chuckle. "Aw, man; here I go again."

"It's not unmanly to cry if it's something worth crying over," he told me with a warm smile. "And I think that the restoration of one's body is a very good reason."

"Yeah, me too," I agreed, wiping my nose with the back of my hand. "Ugh, could I have a tissue?"

He laughed out loud. "Come on; let's go to my office. That's where I keep my main stash."

I chuckled as I followed him down the familiar halls to his familiar office. Once there, he went behind his desk and produced a box of tissues. "Take as many as you need," he said with a wink. "You've earned them."

"Thanks. Hey look, this might not be the best time, but could I get your opinion on something?"

"I'm always happy to give my opinion," he said with another wink.

I chuckled before the weight of what I wanted to ask about settled on my shoulders…both of them, finally. "I, uh, was invited to a…get-together…by a girl."

"You were, huh?" he said, growing serious. "Did you accept?"

"Yeah," I grunted, looking at the floor.

"Was it the girl you were talking about last time? Kyou's…niece?"

My gaze snapped up to his. "How did you know?"

"I didn't," he shrugged. "But she's the only one you've mentioned so far, so I figured she was a good bet. Anyway…"

"Yeah…she invited me to the Founder's Festival at Hikarizaka High School, where she's a student."

"And you accepted."

"Yeah…" Man, I was starting to sound dumb; 'yeah…yeah…yeah…'. "She told me that her parents were working and couldn't go, so she asked me."

"What about friends? She couldn't go with friends?" he asked with a puzzled look.

"I didn't think to ask," I admitted. "She just seemed so sad, that…well, I gave in."

"Of course she'd be sad," he remarked. "She's the one who's fond of you, right?"

"Right," I replied, opting to not use 'yeah' again. "Any thoughts?"

"Well, that would depend on your stance on remarriage," he said, leaning back in his chair and steeping his fingers.

"Huh?" Had I heard him right? "Are you seriously suggesting that I think of her as a possible…wife?"

"I'm not suggesting anything," he said smoothly, "other than that you might want to be very careful in accepting invitations like this one. I'm assuming that you don't want to give her the wrong idea."

"I don't."

"So, if you're still not interested in remarrying," he said, spreading his hands, "then you might want to seriously reconsider your acceptance of her invitation."

"Remarrying…" I murmured.

"Something you want to add, Tomoya-san?"

"I just…" I couldn't believe what I was feeling. "You know…a while ago I think I finally grieved Nagisa's death."

"How?"

"I cried like a little girl," I said with an awkward chuckle. "All those years of pain…they're not quite gone, but…"

"They're a lot weaker, now?"

"Yeah, that's it," I said, pointing at him. "They're weaker, and I feel like I can think more clearly now."

"If it helps, I went through something similar after Jessica died," he told me. "I'm in no danger of breaking your record, but I really hurt for a long time."

"Did your god help you through it?"

"He did," he replied. "To the best of my understanding, death was not in his original plan, but the introduction of sin – a spiritual death – also allowed the entrance of physical death into creation. Had Adam and Eve not sinned, we likely would have lived forever as perfect beings; now we'll live forever either with God or separated from him."

"What does that have to do with your wife?"

"Well, it made it harder for me to blame him for her death. In a sense, I envy her; she's closer to him now than I am. Anyway, he helped me to deal with the pain of my loss. In fact a friend of mine loaned me a copy of 'A Grief Observed' by C.S. Lewis; helped me immensely."

"How?"

"He wrote the book in response to his own pain at the loss of his wife, so we were kindred spirits, in a way."

"I'm glad you had someone, at least; all I had was booze, cigarettes, and work."

"I wish I could have met you sooner," he said with genuine regret in his voice. "Maybe I could have helped you through all your pain."

"Maybe," I grunted. I still wasn't big on his god, but at least the pastor's heart seemed to be in the right place. "So, what do you think I should do about Mik- I mean, Kyou's niece?"

"Oh! Right…" he sat up in his seat, steepling his fingers again. "If you're interested in marrying again, I'd say go for it; otherwise, find a polite way to back out. I don't think I'll be able to help you with that, though," he admitted with a sympathetic smile.

"Go for it?" I repeated. "Are you serious? She's eighteen." I waved a hand at him. "Doesn't your god have some kind of restrictions when it comes to stuff like this?"

"Just when it comes to family members," he replied. "Outside of that there are cultural norms and local laws that we're required to adhere to…as long as they don't contradict his laws."

"Are you saying that I could date an eighteen-year-old and you'd be fine with it?"

"Personally, I'm a little uncomfortable with the idea," he admitted. "But that would be based on my own opinion, not my understanding of scripture."

"But you just said 'go for it'," I countered.

"Again, that was based on my understanding of scripture. I don't know all the details of your situation beyond what you've told me. As far as I know, you're both legal adults and capable of consent. If marriage ever came up, she'd need her parents' permission due to being under the age of twenty, but…" he spread his hands. "As far as I'm concerned this is between the two of you."

I sighed as I weakly rubbed my face with my hand, then smiled briefly when I realized that I'd used my right hand. "All right, I think I get it. How far apart in age were you and your wife, anyway?"

"I was older than Jessica by about two years," he told me.

"All right…" I grunted. "Thanks."

"I would strongly recommend that you talk with her parents about this event, just in case; they may not be aware of her plans."

"Knowing her, she's probably told them, but I think you're right; I should talk to them about it."

He gave me a sympathetic smile. "Was there anything else?" he asked softly.

"No," I grunted again. "Despite how I sound, you've been a huge help. Thanks."

"I'm glad to have helped," he said, then a knock sounded from down the hall, and I marveled at how we could hear it from so far away. "Excuse me a minute," he said, checking the clock as he got to his feet. "I think this'll be a familiar face."

"All right," I chuckled as he left the room.

A couple of minutes later he came back with Ushio in tow. "Daddy!" she squealed as she lunged at me to hug my neck."Your shoulder! Your shoulder!"

"Yes, it's still working," I chuckled as I returned my hyper teenager's embrace.

"She knows already?" he asked as he moved behind his desk to sit.

"Yeah, I stopped by the bakery one my way here; I wanted Ushio to be the first to know."

"Well, that was thoughtful. How does it feel being the first to know?" he asked my daughter.

"Really good!" she chirped, finally releasing me. "Thank you, Daddy, for thinking of me."

"You're welcome," I said, feeling a little overwhelmed by her exuberance. "Go ahead and sit down."

Once we were both settled in, the pastor smiled at the both of us. "Well, I received an interesting call this morning…"

Ushio and I exchanged a glance. "Okay…" I said. "Good for you?"

He burst out laughing. "What would you say if I told you that, after reviewing your case along with my notes, the court has decided that you, Shio-chan, are clear to move back in with your father?"

"I…would say that I'm very happy," she said in a voice that matched the trembling of her body. "I've…been wanting to be a family again ever since…" she trailed off, and I had an idea what she was referring to.

"I get the feeling that these sessions have been more of a formality than anything," Pastor Ashton remarked. "You were eager to get back on track after all that. Still, laws and procedures have to be followed, and I think we've done that quite well."

"I think so, too," I agreed.

"Me, too," Ushio echoed.

"So, when do you think you'll be moving in?" he asked.

She shifted in her seat. "I'm…not sure. I mean, you just told us the good news, after all, so… I'll have to work things out with Daddy and Grandpa and Grandma Furukawa."

"Are your grandparents going to be sad to see you go?"

"I'm sure they will be, a little," she replied. "They took care of me when…" she trailed off as she glanced at me anxiously.

"Ah, right; I remember. Right. No need to bring it up now." I figured she was talking about her first five years of life, so I was grateful for their discretion.

"And I've become part of the routine, so I'm sure they'll miss that part of it, too," she added.

"That's true; your grandpa won't have you around to clean the floors for him anymore," I said with a smirk.

"Yeah…" she giggled.

"Well, the four of you can work that out on your own," he said as he leaned back in his chair. "I'm outside that discussion, but know that you can reunite whenever you're ready."

"Thank you, pastor," I said. "Do Mom and Dad Furukawa know yet?"

"I haven't told them, no," he replied. "I'll let them know when they come for Shio-chan, and you can go from there."

"It'll be nice to able to walk alone with Daddy again," Ushio said, smiling at me warmly. "I've missed that."

"Tell you what," Pastor Aston said, reaching for his phone. "I'll give them a call right now and tell them the news; knowing them, they'll want the two of you to walk home alone together." For some reason, his forehead wrinkled. "'Alone together'…that sounds weird."

"It does," Ushio giggled.

"Anyway, give me a minute." He picked up his phone and dialed a number before putting the phone to his head. "Hello? Sanae-san? Hi, Pastor Jeff Ashton, Glory to God church. Yeah… Good, thank you. Listen, I'm calling to let you know that Ushio is free to move back in with her old man at your discretion…the four of you, that is. At the four of you's… Yes. Thank you, and sorry about the word salad." He gave us an embarrassed look, causing me to chuckle and Ushio to giggle. "I was thinking that you might like Tomoya-san to walk your granddaughter back to your place, since they haven't been able to walk together, just the two of them, in a long time." I heard Sanae's excited voice on the other end, and figured she was fine with it. "Great. Thank you, ma'am. Yes. Take care." He hung up and gave us a broad smile while shaking his head. "I haven't fumbled like that in a while, but I'm usually by myself when I'm on the phone. Anyway, you're free to walk your daughter to the bakery…or wherever you like, really, but I think Sanae-san would want to know for her own peace of mind."

"For now, I'll just take her home," I said. "To the bakery, I mean; we still have arrangements to make."

"Of course," he said, getting up from his chair. "Well, if you don't need anything from me, I think we can call it good." He bowed, then stuck out his hand. "Do you mind? It gives me the sense of closure. You can take the man out of America, but…"

"No, it's fine," I said, standing to carefully accept the handshake with my right hand, and it felt good. "Thanks for all your help, pastor."

"I'm glad to have helped," he said warmly. He glanced over at Ushio briefly before addressing me. "If you're willing, Tomoya-san, I'd like to continue with you, though."

"Me?" He gave me a meaningful look, and I immediately knew what he was talking about. "I'll…think about it," I said, feeling self-conscious.

"What is it, Daddy?"

"I apologize for bringing it up in front of others," he said, "but I wasn't sure when I'd get the chance."

"No, it's fine," I said. "I'll…just want a little time to think about it."

"Perfectly understandable," he replied as he opened the door to his office and led us out. The three of us said nothing as we headed down the hallways to the entrance to the church. "Well," he said, breaking the silence as he opened one of the main doors for us. "Take care, and if I don't see you again Tomoya-san; may Jesus guide your steps."

"Yeah…thanks." I still wasn't sure what to say to his odd declarations. "Take it easy."

"May your god guide you," Ushio said with a bow, causing my eyebrows to jump.

"Thank you, Shio-chan," he replied, returning the bow. "May Jesus guide you as well."

We waved as we headed away from the church, then turned our attention to the road ahead of us. "He's a nice man," she said. "I'm glad he was willing to help us."

"Yeah, he's all right," I grunted. Wanting to change the subject, I tried to think of something else to talk about and cringed. Oh, well; I'd want to talk to her about it at some point anyway. "Hey…listen, Ushio…?"

"Yes, Daddy?"

"Your upperclassman, Hiiragi Mika-san, invited me to the Founder's Festival. I guess both her parents are working and can't go with her, so she asked me."

"That's odd," she said, putting a finger to her mouth, "it's not required for parents to go."

"I didn't think so," I said. "Back when I attended it wasn't required, but I guess I assumed that that had changed or something."

"Not as far as I know," she said with a shrug. "Well, that's a shame, though…"

"How come?"

She ducked her head with a shy smile. "I was going to ask you to come with me…"

YES! I had an out!

"…but I guess the three of us could go together."

'DAMMMIT' my mind said. "That's an idea…" my traitorous mouth said.

"Did you already agree to go?" she asked quietly.

"Yeah, I did. I didn't know we'd be cleared today, or I would have told her 'no'." We rounded the corner, coming up on the bakery. "Well, I'll be talking to her parents tonight, so maybe one of them will be able to go instead."

"If it doesn't work out, could she go with us?" she asked. "She must have asked you because she trusts you, and I'd hate to let her down. And she's done so much for you, that…" she trailed off with a sheepish smile.

Trusts me… "I…Fine." I briefly considered telling Ushio about my suspicions regarding her senior, but thought better of it.

* * *

" _Hey, Okazaki!"_

"Kappei!" I greeted, a little more boisterously than my usual. "Your daughter's on her way home, but… Hey, uh…how's life?"

" _Busy,"_ he groaned. _"I'm coaching track teams for the next three weeks straight! I know they're getting ready for regionals, but still… THERE'S ONLY ONE OF ME!"_

I laughed, even as I pulled my phone away from my ear; talking with the energetic track star was always a blast. "That sounds rough," I chuckled sympathetically.

" _So, what's up with you?"_

"Well, I don't know if you know this, but your daughter asked me to go to the Founder's Festival with her."

" _Yeah, she talked with us about it. Unfortunately, I can't get away from these training sessions, and Ryou has training on new hospital procedures the whole time. We_ _might_ _be able to go toward the end of Sunday, but…yeah, it sucks."_

"Sorry to hear that," I said; I could tell from his tone that he really wanted to go. "Well, I said I'd go with her. Ushio'll be with us too, so she'll be have someone more her age as well."

" _That's good. Listen Okazaki; I really appreciate you putting yourself out there for her. She really looks up to you."_

"I get that; thanks."

" _No problem! Shoot, she talks about you all the time, anyway. I guess it's no surprise with how much she's over there, huh?"_

"Y-Yeah… I guess it makes sense." I started to wonder if I should have told him about Kyou's suspicions, but realized that I could end up causing unnecessary problems if they turned out to be wrong. "Well, I just wanted to know if you knew about Mika-san's plans," I said, then cringed at the implications in light of Kyou's suspicions.

" _Yup, we know about it. I'll let you know if things change and we can take her off your hands, but…"_

"I get it. Thanks, Kappei."

" _No problem. I just feel bad that you have to play 'dad' for her."_

"Y-Yeah… No, I mean, don't worry about it. I…I understand."

" _Cool! Well…anything else?"_

"Nope. She's on her way home, and I'm going back to school."

As expected, I heard laughter from the other end. _"You're something else, you know that? All right, catch you later, man."_

"Take it easy."

I ended the call, cursing my cowardice until I realized that I'd forgotten to tell him about my shoulder. Oh, well…


	20. Decisions, Decisions

**Chapter Twenty: Decisions, Decisions…**

I could barely contain my excitement as I headed over to the bakery. After all, Ushio would be coming home today!

As I headed away from the apartment complex, I carefully rotated my right shoulder as I thought back on what had brought us to this point. I was glad that my daughter had gotten over her guilt over her mother's death, though I figured she'd never completely get over it. If nothing else, I didn't have to worry about being romantically pursued by my own daughter; I shuddered at the memory of the events that had led to the re-injuring of my shoulder.

I rounded the last corner and smiled at the sight of Ushio outside the bakery, crouched among several bags and a couple of small suitcases. "Hey, sweetie!" I greeted. "Ready to come home?"

She looked up, and her eyes widened. "Daddy!" she squealed and charged at me with her arms open wide. "Are you here to take me home?"

"Yup," I grunted as she threw herself into me with a hug, and I gave myself a moment to recover my breath before continuing. "Is this everything?"

"Yeah," she said as I followed her back to the bakery entrance, where Sanae was just stepping outside. "I think I have everything, but I know I can come back if I find out I'm missing something."

"Ah! Good afternoon, Tomoya-san!" Sanae greeted in her pleasant melodious tone. "I trust you are well. How is your shoulder?"

"Getting better," I said as I rubbed the area in question; it had been a couple of weeks since I'd been freed from the harness. "It feels like it's getting stronger every day, but I know I have a long way to go."

"Every step counts, no matter how small it may seem," she said encouragingly.

"Oh, I know," I told her. "I'm not getting down about it; I'm just acknowledging the reality of it all."

"I understand. Well Shio-chan; are you ready to go?" she asked, indicating the pile of luggage. "Do you have everything?"

"I think so, Grandma," Ushio replied. "Thank you for taking care of me. I really enjoyed my time here."

"It was lovely having you, as always," Sanae said as she drew my daughter into an embrace. "Feel free to come over anytime. I love my little stay-overnight girl."

"I love you too, Grandma," my daughter said, giving her grandmother an extra squeeze. She released Sanae – reluctantly, I noticed – and looked over at me with a hesitant look. "How…much can you carry?"

"I guess we'll find out," I said while trying to flex my right arm, causing her to giggle.

Between the two of us, we managed; I carried one of the suitcases in my left hand, with a couple of bags looped around my wrist. In my right hand I carried the other suitcase. Fortunately, nothing was too heavy, and we were on our way home sooner than I had thought.

We didn't say much for most of the trip; I guess we'd done so much talking in our sessions that we'd need more life experiences to have something new to share.

"How's my room?" Ushio suddenly asked, snapping me out of my train of thought.

"It should be fine," I told her. "You might need to do a little cleaning, since I've only been able to do so much with one arm."

"I'll take a look when we get home," she decided. "Thank you for doing your best."

"You're welcome. Hey, do you want any kind of homecoming party? This is pretty special, after all."

She didn't answer, and I glanced over to see her nibbling on her lower lip. "I'd like something, sure, but...not huge," she said. "If I invited friends over, and they asked what happened…"

"I got it," I said. "Well… What about Kyou? She loves you, and…" I wanted to add 'she knows what happened' but realized that that might not be a good idea. "…we never got to celebrate your graduation with her."

"Hey, you're right!" she exclaimed.

"Maybe after you get settled in, we could give her a call and plan a grad party for you, just the three of us," I suggested.

"I like that idea," she said. "Now I want to get back to normal as soon as possible so we can party!"

"Oh, and you didn't before?" I asked with an impish grin.

She looked at me with an expression of mild shock before grinning impishly herself as she playfully whacked my arm. "Daddy! You know what I mean!"

"Yes, I do," I chuckled. "You have another reason for looking forward to getting back to normal; is that right?"

"Yes," she grumbled through her grin. "Hey! What about inviting Hiiragi-senpai?"

"Mika-san? What for?" Other than my own personal discomfort, I wasn't necessarily opposed to the idea; the two of them knew each other at school, after all.

"Well, I don't know her as well as I'd like to since we'll be going to the festival together. I bet you know her better than I do now since she's been coming over to help out."

"Which she probably won't be doing anymore since you're coming home," I pointed out. "For that matter…she's going to be coming today; why don't you two have some girl time then?"

"It's not the same!" she whined halfheartedly. "This is just day-to-day stuff, while I'm talking about a party!"

"I don't see the difference as far as talking goes," I said as we approached the front door of our unit. "Talking is talking, isn't it?"

"Maybe for boys it is," she huffed. "And men. But for us girls it's different."

"All right," I sighed. "I'll take your word for it. Just give me some time to think about it, okay?"

"Okay!" she chirped. "Thanks, Daddy!"

"Don't thank me yet," I grunted as I finally got the door open. "Nothing's set in stone just yet."

We went inside and headed to her room. Since I had the heavier load and had to account for my shoulder, she slid the door open and let me in first. I carefully put her things on the floor and grunted as I straightened to turn to my daughter. "Well, it's-"

I cut myself off at the sight of Ushio standing at the door to her room, staring blankly inside. She looked as though she was looking into a new and unfamiliar place, and it occurred to me that she may have been going through the same kind of thing I did when I first got home after losing the harness; a sense of alienation, of being a new person in otherwise familiar surroundings.

"Do you need a minute?" I asked softly.

She shifted her blank gaze up to me. "May I come in?"

"Of course," I said with a gentle, understanding smile. "This is your room, sweetie; come on in."

She smiled gratefully before cautiously stepping across the threshold to the bedroom. In some ways she reminded me of a cat, sniffing its way into unfamiliar territory. She looked around slowly as though seeing the room for the first time. "It's so weird…" she murmured. "I know this is my room, but it seems so…foreign."

"Maybe it's because you're a different person than before?" I suggested. "You're not the person you were when you left, so it's like looking at it with new eyes."

"I guess…" she said in a quiet voice. "I do feel different, now that you mention it."

"If it helps, I was just thinking how I felt the same way when I got home after I found out I didn't need the harness anymore," I told her. "I felt free."

"I don't know if I feel free, but I know I feel different."

"Well, take your time," I said as I headed toward the door. "I'll make some tea while you get settled in."

"Okay," she said absently, still looking around her 'old' room. "Thank you."

I smiled before quietly sliding the door shut behind me. I knew that it would take some time, but I believed that we would eventually get back to normal. I headed out to the kitchen and, after making sure there was enough water in the kettle, set it to heat on the stovetop. I then got out a couple of mugs, using my right hand to open the cupboard and my left to retrieve them, and set them on the counter before dropping a tea bag in each of them. After brief consideration, I dropped a second bag in mine; I'd need the caffeine if I was going to last the rest of the day.

A few minutes later I heard Ushio make her way down the hall, and I turned to see her settling into her spot at the kotatsu. "Feeling better yet?" I asked.

"A little," she replied, ducking her head. "It just feels so weird to be back home."

"For what it's worth, I'm still getting used to it myself," I said, then looked back to the stove as the kettle started whistling. "I know where everything is like usual, but it all looks different. I think it's because my perspective changed after I lifted my arm over my head."

"Who would think that such a simple act could mean so much to someone?" she said with a giggle.

I mulled over her words. "Yeah, I guess we can take things for granted, huh?" I then winced as an image of my old man came to mind. "Yeah…"

"Daddy? Are you okay?"

Her question snapped my out of my reverie, but the thought remained. "Yeah…I'm fine. Just have some thinking to do…"

"Speaking of thinking," she said with another giggle, "I was thinking while unpacking, and I'd like to call Kyou-sensei tonight and plan the party, if that's okay."

"Already?" I asked as I poured the water into our mugs. "Are you sure you don't need more time to adjust?"

"If we plan it for, say, a week from now, that'll give me a week to adjust. Besides, I think being able to talk with Kyou-sensei in our home will help me to feel better."

"Yeah, I could see that," I replied as I set the kettle back on the stove and retrieved our mugs. "The familiar."

"Yeah, that's it."

I shrugged. "Okay, well…just give me a week's notice so I can plan around it."

"Okay."

We spent the next few minutes quietly drinking our tea. I found myself feeling a little self-conscious before I realized it was because I was used to us chatting up a storm during meals. Considering that we'd done a lot of talking during our counseling sessions, along with feeling disconnected from our home, it made sense…sort of.

She finished her tea and headed out to the counter to wash her mug. She then came back and plopped down into her seat again. "May I use your phone?"

"Oh…sure," I answered, digging into my pocket. I pulled it out and handed it to her, and she giggled to her feet with a 'Thank you!' before hurrying down the hall, presumably to her room. I smiled with a shake of my head as I downed the last of my tea and headed to the kitchen to wash out my mug.

While she was on the phone I took the opportunity to think about how things were going. My shoulder was well on its way to recovery…full recovery this time. Ushio seemed to be back to normal, though I couldn't be sure what normal for her was anymore, considering she'd been 'grooming' herself for the last four years. "Oh well, we'll figure it out," I mumbled to myself as I leaned against the frame to the sliding-glass door that led to our balcony.

I sighed as an image of Mika drifted into my conscious thought. She was an interesting girl; very kind, very compassionate, but she could also be very strong-willed. "Kind of a combination of her mom and her aunt," I mused, glancing over my shoulder to make sure Ushio was still down the hall. I still wasn't sure what to make of her, though; if what Kyou said was correct, I'd have to reject another sweet young girl, which I wasn't looking forward to.

My thoughts then drifted to Kyou, and I started wondering how she and the pastor were getting along. I hadn't heard much in a while, so I figured things were still all right. If things had turned sour, I'd probably be the first she'd tell…after her sister and family, of course.

"Daddy?" I twitched slightly before looking over to Ushio, standing at the entrance to the hallway. "Would Friday night be okay? I know today's Sunday so it's not a full week, but would it be okay?"

"It's fine," I said with a chuckle. "The point was to give me some time to prepare."

"Did you hear that, Kyou-sensei?" she said into the phone. "So, Friday? Yeah. Oh, that's right! Hold on, sensei… What time, Daddy?" she asked with hopeful eyes.

"I dunno. When did you want to have it?"

"Could they come over after lunch?"

"'They'?"

"Kyou-sensei and Hiiragi-senpai, of course!" she chirped.

I sighed internally; was I really up to dealing with 'Nemesis and the Affectionate Niece'? "Sure, after lunch would be fine. What would that be; about one, one-thirty?"

"What time did you have in mind?" Ushio asked into the phone. A nod, then: "One-o-clock?" She looked at me, apparently for confirmation, so I nodded. "That'll work. Yeah." A giggle. "Yeah. All right, we look forward to it. Yeah. All right sensei, see you then. Bye-bye."

"So, Saturday at one?" I asked as she handed me my phone.

"Yup!" she chirped. "Thanks a lot, Daddy. Thanks for doing this on such short notice."

"It's not that short, but you're welcome," I said, smiling warmly at her.

As she fisted her hands under her chin and squealed her excitement over her upcoming party, my mind drifted back to concerns; concerns about my shoulder, about Mika, about the man I was going to become.

* * *

" _Glory to God, Pastor Ashton speaking."_

"Hello pastor; this is Okazaki Tomoya."

" _Tomoya-san, hey! Good to hear from you again! How's life treating you?"_

"Better, thanks."

" _How's the shoulder coming along?"_

"Slowly but surely." I thought it was interesting how he seemed more excited about my shoulder than I was. "Listen, you got a minute?"

" _Sure."_

I sighed; this wasn't going be easy. "Listen… I, uh… I've been thinking about your offer, and I'd like to take you up on it."

" _My offer? Are you referring to my offer to help you with your…situation?"_

"Yeah," I said, grateful for his discretion. "I think I've been letting other people run my life, my dad included, and I'd like to figure out how to take it back."

" _A laudable goal, one that few people have tried to accomplish, to my experience. Good for you."_ I could hear the smile in his tone, which warmed my heart. _"When did you want to get started?"_

"As soon as possible," I chuckled. "But if you're asking about a date and time, I can say that Saturday mornings are probably best for me; I have weekends off, and Ushio's in school."

" _Do you have any particular time in mind?"_

"Well, Ushio gets out of school at about one, so…" I scratched my head, nearly elated that my right hand could do it. "I guess it depends on how long the sessions would be."

" _About an hour, like what you're used to."_

"Well, I guess ten or eleven would be fine. Whatever you have available."

" _How about ten, in case later sessions go a bit long?"_

"That's fine, but… I'm not going to get in the way of any of your other duties, am I?"

" _No, but thank you for your concern. I don't know if you remember, but I don't do a lot of counseling, except when a court case requires it. With all respect, Japan still doesn't seem to think much of the counseling industry."_

I did vaguely remember, but it seemed like a memory from another life. "I think I get it, anyway. So…did you want me to come in this Saturday, or should we wait another week?"

" _This Saturday is fine with me. You?"_

I snorted. "The sooner the better, really. I'd like some help with this situation with Mika-san."

" _Well, we can talk about that on Saturday, if you'd like."_

My heart sank as I remembered… "Crud, that's right; she's supposed to be over this Friday night, and I won't be seeing you until the morning after."

" _I can help clean up the mess_ _then_ _, I suppose,"_ he said with humor in his tone.

"That's-" I started to say before my own chuckles prevented me from finishing my thought.

" _I can spare a few minutes now, if that's enough."_

"Thanks, I'll take whatever I can get. See, we're having a graduation party for Ushio on Friday night. She'd already had one with her old schoolmates from middle school, but she wanted to have one with me and Kyou, her old kindergarten teacher, so we were going to plan one until…yeah."

" _I believe I understand,"_ he said, much to my relief. _"So what's the problem?"_

"She's inviting Mika-san, Kyou's niece."

" _So it_ _is_ _the same person!"_ I heard him exclaim. _"I'm sorry that I didn't think to bring this up sooner, but I found it interesting that your description of her matched the girl that Kyou's described. What a small world."_

I couldn't believe that I'd never thought of that, though with all the stuff I'd been dealing with, it made sense. "Hey, do you think you could find out how she feels about me? It'd help me know what I need to do."

" _Tomoya-san, you make a very difficult request. The fact is; I'm too far removed from that part of the family yet for it to be appropriate. Besides, you're an adult, and need to be able handle these kinds of things yourself, right?"_

I sighed in resignation. "Yeah, you're right. Good grief, I sound like a…a…teen-aged boy or something." Without meaning to, I thought of Tadashi, who seemed so mature, and my heart sank a little. "All right, I guess I'll have my chance on Friday to sort this out. I hope it doesn't happen, though; we're supposed to be celebrating Ushio's graduation, not sorting out my love life…a love life that I'm not even supposed to have." I then smiled at his sympathetic chuckle. "Hey…Has, uh…Kyou mentioned Mika-san's feelings at all?"

" _Not that I can recall. Frankly, we've been too busy getting to know each other. Enjoying each other, really."_

Considering her somewhat domineering personality, I had a hard time imagining any guy enjoying time with Kyou, but he was a pastor, after all. "Well, I'm glad that things are working out for you."

" _Thank you!"_ A heavy sigh. _"Look, I really can't tell you anything more than I already have; you need to decide where you are at this point when it comes to remarrying, or you could end up needlessly breaking her heart, and potentially those of other women. You need to commit one way or the other. It doesn't preclude changing your mind later, but Mika-san may need to know where she stands_ _now_ _, and you'll need to be ready to tell her when or if the time comes."_

"All right, I got it," I grunted. "Thanks, and wish me luck."

" _Not to sound snobbish, but would you mind if I prayed for you instead?"_

I chuckled. "That's fine. I just put it the way I did out of habit."

" _Ah, got it. Then I shall be praying for wisdom and discernment for you, as well as guidance regarding your current situation."_

"Thank you; I really appreciate it." While part of me still couldn't accept his religion, at least he still wanted the best for me, and I wasn't going to spit on that. "Well, I guess that takes care of me, then. Thanks for your time."

" _I'm glad if I've helped. Have a good day, Tomoya-san."_

"Thanks, you too."

I ended the call and sighed, feeling no closer to an answer for my 'Mika problem' than before. "Well, like I said; I'll have a chance on Friday to sort things out…but I don't want to end up ruining Ushio's grad party." I mulled this over a bit more before refocusing my attention on my phone and dialing another number. I'd felt like I'd been on my phone a lot more lately, and I wasn't sure what to think of it.

" _Hello, this is Tadashi."_

"Hello Tadashi-san; this is Okazaki Tomoya. Is your aunt there right now?'"

" _Yes sir, she is. Would you like to speak with her?"_

"Yes, please."

" _One moment."_ As he left to get Kyou it occurred to me to ask her if she had a cell phone, and to get her number if she did.

A minute or so later I heard the phone picked up. _"Hello?"_

"Hey, Kyou; It's me."

" _Yeah, Tadashi told me. Hey, what's up?"_

"Well, I wanted to ask… first; do you have a cell phone?"

" _As of about a month ago, yes. Why? Did you want the number?"_

"Yeah, if you don't mind."

" _No, not at all."_ She gave me the number and I entered it into my phone. _"You got it? Do you need me to repeat it once more?"_

"No, I'm good."

" _Good. I'm assuming that's not what you called about, though."_

"No, it isn't," I chuckled. "I…wanted to talk to you about Mika-san, if you have the time."

The sigh from the other end was unmistakable. _"Tomoya, it was a_ _hunch_ _, okay? Have you been obsessing over this all this time?"_

"I've had other things on my plate," I told her. "But I can't help but be concerned when I find out that a girl two years older than my daughter and who's been helping me out may be attracted to me."

Another sigh. _"Okay, I could see that. Have you thought of talking with Jeff about it?"_

"I talked to him earlier actually," I admitted. "He wasn't able to say much other than I should figure out whether I want to remarry or not."

" _Seriously?! You'd_ _seriously_ _consider marrying my eighteen-year-old niece?!"_

"I'm not even there yet, Kyou," I grunted, running my fingers rough my hair repeatedly. "The remarriage thing came up because I'd asked him what I should do if you're right and Mika-san actually does…you know…."

" _Are you twelve, Tomoya? Say it: 'if she likes me'."_

"If she likes me," I repeated as my face heated up; if felt so weird saying something that hadn't been part of my life for so long.

" _Good. Now why did remarriage come up?"_

"Well, if I'm not interested in remarrying, then I need to have that in mind if she does confess to me."

" _That does sound like Jeff's logic."_

"What do you think, Kyou? Does she… Do I need to be worried?"

" _From the way she's been talking I'd say you ought to be…concerned but not really_ _worried_ _."_

"What do you mean?"

" _Well, the way she's been talking about you at the dinner table… I think even my sister and Kappei are starting to see it."_

"Aw, great." The last thing I needed was an irate father and friend. "And they're letting her come over anyway?"

" _Well, they're not certain enough to make an issue out of it. Really, it'd be easier if we just got all this out in the open and dealt with it at once."_

"It'd be easier on my nerves, that's for sure."

" _You poor thing,"_ she giggled. _"You're one of the few guys I've known who'd get stressed over a girl liking him. But I understand, since she's eighteen."_

"Do you think I should remarry?"

" _Well_ _that_ _was out of the blue!"_ She sighed. _"I think you're made to be married, Tomoya; you're a great guy who really should be sharing his life with someone."_

"I see…"

" _You shouldn't_ _need_ _a wife to be happy, but I think having a wife will enrich your life in ways that you wouldn't know about otherwise."_

"You're starting to sound like the pastor," I noted with a smirk.

" _Yeah, and it's a good thing,"_ she replied. _"Meeting him has been one of the best things that's ever happened to me, right up there with being your friend."_

My eyebrows jumped, but I said nothing; I never knew she thought so highly of me.

" _Anyway, I think you_ _should_ _remarry, but only after you get your past taken care of; I really don't think it's fair that your wife had to make up for your bad relationship with your dad."_

"I didn't-" Wait, did I? If what Kyou said was true, then had I been using Nagisa as an emotional crutch? "That's…but how am I supposed to…?" I trailed off as I thought of Pastor Ashton's offer; maybe working with him could help restore my soul? Like the way the doctors had helped restore my shoulder? "So I guess I should focus on counseling for now, and just be…kind to Mika-san."

" _And if she confesses…I really need to find a new word; that sounds so high-schoolish… Anyway, if she confesses, I think you could be honest with her and tell her your situation. Both my niece and nephew seem…mature for their age, just in different ways. What I'm saying is that she could probably handle it, even if she doesn't completely understand."_

"I guess I'll find out on Friday, huh?"

" _Yup! You boys are pretty good at taking the long view on stuff, but remember that you still have to live life one day at a time."_

"Got it. Thanks, Kyou."

" _You're welcome!"_

"And I'm glad that you and…Jeff…are doing well. I wish the best for you both."

" _Hey, thanks. Did you need anything else?"_

"No, I'm good," I said, trying not to chuckle at how much she sounded like her boyfriend. "Have a good day, Kyou."

" _You, too. Take care!"_

I ended the call and dropped the phone into my lap with a sigh; I had to lot of thinking to do.


	21. The Next Grad Party

**Chapter Twenty-One: The Next Grad Party**

The doorbell rang, and I wiped sweaty palms on my pantlegs as I headed over to answer the door. "Coming…" Truth be told, I didn't want to be the one answering the door, but for some reason Ushio was taking a long time to get ready.

I opened the door to find Kyou and Mika on the porch. "Hey Tomoya," Kyou greeted.

"Hey Kyou," I greeted, smiling as I stepped aside. "Come on in, you two."

"Good afternoon, Okazaki-sama," Mika greeted as she followed her aunt into my home.

"Good afternoon," I returned as I closed the door behind them and took their coats. "Go ahead and have a seat; Ushio should be out…sometime today."

"'Sometime today'?" Mika repeated.

"He's being rude, Mika," my old sparring partner said. "He doesn't understand that it takes us a long time to make ourselves pretty."

"It does, huh?" I asked, smirking as I crossed my arms. "And why should it take so long, Kyou?"

"Well, because…" she trailed off with an expression that told me that she'd realized the position she'd put herself in. "Just shut up."

"For what it's worth, I don't think you need any 'work', Kyou," I said with a knowing smile. It was true; in spite of her age, her treatment during her time with her 'husband' as well as her smoking, she looked fantastic. Though I would have been lying if I said her outfit wasn't impressive as well: her long, purple hair, absent its previous gray and ribboned on the left as always, rested on a lighter-purple top that was made of some kind of soft, shiny-looking material. Her black skirt was straight, and covered her to her knees, while black shoes that almost looked like slippers covered her feet. "Honestly, I think you'd start a riot if you walked into a high-school dressed like that."

She stared at me with an expression of open shock before quickly dropping her gaze "Th-Thank you," she said, her former bravado all but gone. "Jeff seemed to like it when I wore it on our last date."

"Then he has good taste," I said, just to tease her a little more; I meant every word, though.

A movement from Kyou's left drew my attention, and Mika was looking at me with an expression that appeared uncertain yet hopeful. "What about me, Okazaki-sama?"

"Y-You look nice, too," I managed, unsure as to how she'd take any praise. She did look nice, though, with her hair down like her aunt's and coming to rest on a dress that was white but not white… 'Cream' I believed Ushio would call it. The color went really well with the purple of her hair and the deep blue of her eyes. The dress covered her from her neck to her knees, and the sleeves extended to her wrists. It was poofy at the chest and flared out below the waist. "Very ladylike."

"You…You really think so?" she asked, her hands balling under her chin.

Fortunately, I was saved from having to answer by Ushio's entrance into the room. "Kyou-sensei!" she squealed as she threw herself at her former teacher. "Oh, it's soooo good to see you!"

"Oh my gosh, Shio-chan!" Kyou said to the teenager hanging off of her. "You look so cute!"

"Thank you," she said timidly, releasing her old teacher to tug awkwardly on the skirt of her dress. It covered her from neck to ankles, which surprised me considering the day and age. It was mostly a shimmery black with white borders at the neck, the ends of the sleeves, and the bottom of the skirt. "Grandpa and Grandma Furukawa bought it for me," she explained, confirming my suspicions.

"It's…good to see you again, Ushio-san," Mika greeted – timidly, which I thought was odd for an upperclassman.

"It's hardly been a day, senpai," Ushio giggled as she exchanged a hug with the older girl. "But it's nice to see you outside of school."

"Y-Yeah…I mean, thank you."

I gave Kyou a look that expressed my confusion, but she just shrugged. "Well ladies, go ahead and have a seat. I still have a few more things to put together before the snack'll be ready."

"Snack?" Kyou's eyes lit up. "Is there chocolate involved?"

"Very much so," I told her with a chuckle; I knew how much girls liked chocolate, so I had made sure to purchase some dark chocolate along with the regular stuff. "Just give me a few minutes and it'll be ready."

"Go, servant," she commended with a wave of her hand and childish eagerness in her eyes.

I shook my head as I reentered the kitchen. "Now…oh, I forgot the plates…I wonder if paper would be okay?"

"Okazaki-sama?" I twitched at the sudden intrusion, but was somehow not surprised at all to see Mika next to me with her hands folded. "M-May I help?"

"Mika-san, you're here to have fun with the others, not to serve," I protested as politely as I could.

"I know, but…" I felt my skin heat up as she looked around anxiously. "I like…helping…"

"Okay," I said, not wanting her to say any more. "Could you get the small plates out of that cupboard over there?"

"You mean the ones with the dragonflies flying around the border?" she asked as she moved to the cupboard that I hadn't even pointed out yet.

"Y-Yeah…those. Thanks." I saw her get out four plates and tried to stop her before she set them down. "Just three."

"Three? How come?"

I turned to face her and leaned on the counter. "This party's just for the three of you. I'll be cowering in my room while you're having fun."

"Okazaki-sama," she giggled. "But…But that's not right. You're working hard and you don't even get to enjoy any of the food?"

"I'll be taking a couple of pieces of meat with me," I admitted, "but I bought all of this with the three of you in mind."

She stared at me for several seconds before seeming to catch herself. "W-Well, thank you for thinking of us," she finally said. "Does Ushio know that you won't be with us?"

"Nah," I said. "She needs to be able to have some fun without worrying about her dad breathing down her neck."

"That's…" Her eyes briefly lost focus before she hurried back to the living room.

Unsure of what had just happened, I turned back to the counter with a blink. "Okay, so we have the plates, the chocolates are ready, the mini-sausages…"

"Daddy!" Ushio suddenly bellowed, causing me to nearly jump out of my skin; in hindsight, I should have seen it coming. "What do you mean 'you won't be joining us'?"

"Ushio," I said patiently, "I'm trying to get your snack ready, but I won't be able to if I keep getting interrupted like this."

"I don't care!" she huffed as she grabbed onto my sleeve. "I'd rather have you there than a bunch of stupid chocolate!"

"Speak for yourself," I heard Kyou quip from the living room.

"Sensei!" Ushio snapped before returning her attention to me. "Daddy, you'll join us, right?"

I looked down at my light-blue button-up shirt over white t-shirt and blue jeans and sighed. "Ushio, I'm not dressed for something like this."

"You don't have to be!" she exclaimed passionately. "You're 'Daddy'!"

"Besides," Kyou's voice came from the living room again, "you boys don't have to worry about being pretty or anything. Jeff told me that God put his beauty in us girls and his strength in you guys, so you don't have to worry so much about your looks."

I could imagine the pastor saying something like that. "He's really got you, doesn't he?"

"Yup!" her voice echoed into the kitchen. "So, are you going to join us or not?"

I sighed again. "Fine. Just…leave me alone for now so I can get the food ready, okay?"

"I'll help!" Mika exclaimed, having somehow switched places with my daughter. "Please let me help."

I sighed in resignation. "There's a bag of vegetables in the fridge," I told her. "Open it, and cut any vegetables that are too long for eating raw."

"Got it!" she chirped with a salute, donning her apron before quickly retrieving the bag and a knife. I was about to wonder how she knew where everything was until I remembered her time helping me during my injury. "Did you want me to put them in the big blue bowl when I'm done?"

"Th-That sounds good," I said, surprised by her initiative again. "Since you're right there, could you take a quick look at the sausages?"

"Sure thing!" She popped the lid off the cooker with her free hand and peered inside. "They smell really good… And they look like they're about ready."

"Cool. Could you turn the heat off, then?"

"Done!" she chirped with a twist of the knob. As I worked on arranging the wrapped chocolates on the serving plate, she went through the vegetables and chopped the ones that needed it, tossing them into the bowl when she was done.

"Oh, shoot," I griped. "Sorry, Mika-san; those need to be rinsed before they go into the bowl. My bad."

Without missing a beat, she opened an upper cupboard and pulled out a strainer and dumped the prepared vegetables into it, sitting it on top of the bowl before giving me a shy smile. "I should have thought of that myself."

I smiled back before returning my attention to the chocolates.

After about a couple of minutes, I saw her leave the counter out of the corner of my eye and 'felt' her move around me to the other side. She then got a smaller bowl and brought it back to my other side, and I realized that she must have been getting it for the dip. She then got into the fridge again and pulled out the tub of miso dip that I'd purchased the other day and poured some of it into the bowl, causing me to wonder how she knew that I'd purchased it for the party. I felt a twinge of nausea as the thought occurred to me that the two of us worked really well together.

"Would you rinse the vegetables while I take this to the kotatsu?" she requested. Before I knew it I was complying, handing her the plate of chocolates and taking the strainer from her. I rinsed the vegetables the best I could, rinsed the serving bowl the best I could, and then dumped the vegetables into the bowl. "Vegetables are ready," I announced, placing the bowl on the counter beside me.

"Great!" Mika grabbed the bowl while flashing me a smile, then headed back to the living room, humming some tune as she went. She sure seemed to be in her element.

A couple trips more, and we all sat around the kotatsu, with delicious-looking food piled on it. There almost wasn't enough room for our plates with all the food there was.

We all folded our hands. "Itadakimasu."

"…for your provision, and bless…this…" Kyou trailed off with a blush as she saw the rest of us looking at her. "Oh, uh…sorry; I've been…having more dinners with Jeff."

"It's okay, sensei," Ushio said encouragingly. "Go right ahead, right Daddy?"

"Um…sure!" I said, not sure what else to say. "Not like it's going to hurt anyone, right?"

Kyou smiled shyly before closing her eyes and bowing her head, so I did the same.

"Lord, thank you for your provision, and bless this food to our bodies' use. Please be with us during this time and let us be…edified, that's it…edified by our time together." I sensed that she was done, and cracked an eye open to see that she was lifting her head again, so I followed suit. "Thanks," she said shyly.

"No problem," I said, somewhat moved by her words. "That was pretty cool."

"I'm not sure I remembered it right, but that's how Jeff prays before our dates," Kyou said, drawing her hair over her ear. "He told me that the point isn't the exact words, but the heart behind them."

"O…Okay," I said, at another loss for words. "Well, your dates must be pretty interesting, then."

"Oh, you," she said, wadding a napkin and tossing it at me. "We don't spend the whole time praying. We've gone to movies and dinners, and even walks in the park, just talking." Her eyes grew unfocused as a smile crept across her face. "He's…amazing."

"Good for you, sensei," Ushio said with a warm smile. "I'm so glad that you could find someone so special after…after…"

"…after what you've been through," I finished, noting my daughter's expression of gratitude. "I'm happy for you, too."

"Yeah…" Kyou said, gazing softly at me before seeming to catch herself. "Er, thanks!" She then leveled a catty gaze at her former student. "So, Shio-chan; any boys at school catch your eye yet?"

"EEEEHHHHHH?" Ushio turned panicked eyes on me as she blushed crimson.

"Whoa, I think we have a winner," Kyou said, still smirking.

"I'm…I'm not thinking about that right now!" she squeaked. "I'm…still…"

Kyou's face paled almost instantly. "Oh, no! I am so sorry, Shio-chan; I spoke before I thought!" She quickly shifted her apologetic look to me. "Tomoya, I'm really sorry about that; I wasn't thinking about anything other than just teasing her a little, honest."

"I believe you," I said as I looked across the table to my daughter. "Are you okay, sweetie? Do you need to leave the table for a minute?"

"N-No, I'm fine," she replied. "I'm just…It's still kinda embarrassing."

"W-Well, then I'll tease someone else," Kyou decided, giving me a knowing look before turning her attention to… "Well, Mika? Is there anyone you like?" While part of me was cringing to the point of doubling over, another part of me was grateful that she was giving her niece the chance to possibly come clean.

"M-Me?" Mika gasped before covering her face.

"There is, isn't there?" her aunt teased in a singsong tone. "Who is it?" she asked while giving me a wink. "Don't worry, your secret's safe with us."

Mika didn't reply, but we could hear a whimper from behind her hands.

"All right Kyou, that's enough," I said, feeling sorry for the girl. "If she wants to tell us then she'll tell us. You remember how awkward it was for us when we were in high school, don't you?"

"It wasn't for me," she said with a wistful look. "I knew who I liked and…was…" she trailed off with what looked like an expression of pain. "N-Never mind; it wasn't awkward but…" She straightened to look me in the eye. "I understand, though."

"What about you, Daddy?" Ushio asked innocently.

"What about me what?" I asked, confused.

"Well, you're…very handsome…" I noticed she was suddenly having a hard time with her words, understandably so. "…so there must be girls – women, I mean – who think you're handsome."

I felt my face heat up as I reflexively looked at Kyou and remembered when she had tried to seduce me, as well as when Ushio's friend confessed to me; out of the corner of my eye I saw Mika finally uncover her face. "I'm…nothing special."

"Aw, knock it off, Tomoya," Kyou said. "You were a really good friend to me when that guy was treating me like sh…treating me really badly."

"That's just what friends do," I told her. "It's nothing worth noting."

"That's not true!" Mika exclaimed. "You were such an amazing friend to Aunt Kyou! You had to give a lot of yourself to be there for her! You are a good man, Okazaki-sama!"

"Whoa Mika, dial it back, would you?" Kyou giggled. "You're sounding like a fangirl or something."

"Could we remember, just for a moment, why we're here?" I asked rhetorically.

The others looked at each other for a moment, then: "GIRL TALK!" they shouted, almost in unison as I buried my head in my hands.

"I give up," I said, getting to my feet. "I'll be in my room. You 'Girl Talkers' have a good time."

"Wait, Daddy!" Ushio exclaimed, grabbing my hand. "You said you'd stay with us!"

"Yeah!" Kyou seconded, playfully grabbing my other hand with an impish grin. "You promised!"

"Knock it off, Kyou," I grumbled. "I know you're just messing with me."

"Would you please…stay?" The three of us looked over at Mika, who seemed to be having trouble with her composure as she looked down at the top of the table.

Not wanting to be the cause of any more trouble, I relented. "Fine… But I'm not talking about my love life 'cause I don't believe in nonexistent things."

"Aw, why not?" Kyou crooned. "Didn't we agree that you're the kind of guy who's made to be married?"

"That was a private conversation!" I snapped, feeling my temper flare. "Not something to be broadcast to everyone else."

"I…I'm sorry…" Kyou said, and it looked like she really meant it as she glanced around at the others. "I'm gonna shut up for a few minutes and give myself a chance to…to reset."

"May…Maybe we should eat," Ushio suggested helpfully, leading by example as she put some vegetables on her plate.

"G-Good idea," Mika agreed as she started to fill her plate as well.

As we ate, I looked to my right at the purple-haired teenager. "So, Mika-san; have either of your parents been able to get the time off for the festival?"

"No," she said with a shake of her head. "But…if you really don't want to go, I'll understand."

"I'd still like to go, if that's okay, Daddy," Ushio said.

"You're fine, sweetie," I told my daughter. I then looked over at Mika again and sighed. "Look, if it really means that much to you for me to go, then I'll go. I didn't mean for you to feel like you're some kind of burden or anything."

"It's okay, Okazaki-sama…"

"Shoot, I'll probably be grateful to you for the rest of my life for all the help you've given me. I really was in a bad way." I rotated my right shoulder a couple of times, enjoying my improved range of movement. "I have you to thank – in part, at least – for me being able to recover as quickly as I have."

"It was my pleasure," she replied as she looked down at the top of the table.

"I'd like it if you could still come over," Ushio said before I could stop her. "I've enjoyed talking to you at school, and I'd really like you to teach me how to cook."

"Your cooking is great already, sweetie," I told her.

"Thank you," she said with a blush. "I just mean that I'd like to…to get even better."

"I didn't teach her everything while I was here, Tomoya," Kyou said with a sly grin. "I'm sure my niece could help her refine her skills. Shio-chan could help her, too."

"That's right!" Mika exclaimed, grabbing my daughter's hands. "We could bake some awesome things together!"

"And you'd get to try them," Kyou said while giving me a meaningful look.

I had to admit that the arrangement would certainly have its benefits. "Well…it's not like I wanted to kick anyone out in the first place…"

"Then it's okay, Daddy?" Ushio nearly begged as she held hands with Mika. "She could come over every day?"

"If her parents are okay with it, I…guess I'm okay with it."

"You guess?"

"Stop picking apart my sentences, Kyou," I grumbled. "I could have some fun with yours, if that's what you want to do."

"M-Make sure to check with your parents when you get home," Kyou suddenly instructed her niece while giving me cautious looks.

"Anyway…" I chuckled softly. "Congratulations on your graduation, sweetie," I said, finally addressing the reason for the party in the first place.

"Thanks, Daddy," she said with the warmest, happiest smile I'd ever seen.

* * *

"So, what movie are we watching?" Kyou asked excitedly as we settled in front of the TV. Ushio and I were in the middle, while Kyou sat on her other side and Mika…sat next to me.

"I dunno," I admitted while trying to ignore my discomfort. "I let Ushio choose it herself this time."

"Whoa, all grown up, huh?" Kyou said, wide-eyed, but I could tell she was messing around again. "Next thing you know, she'll be driving and have her own place!"

"K-Kyou-sensei!" Ushio squeaked with her hands on her blushing cheeks. "I'm n-not ready for that!"

"She's messing with you, sweetie," I said as I faked a dirty look at my old friend. "Kyou, please stop picking on my daughter."

"Yes, sir," she replied while giving me a fake look of contrition. "Anyway, what are we watching?"

"Well," Ushio said, looking around anxiously, "I wanted a movie that Daddy could watch too, so…" she quickly got to her feet, took the disc from its case, and nearly shoved it into our movie player.

"Still like the old physical media, eh Tomoya?" Kyou taunted.

"That's right," I told her as Ushio settled back in next to me. "If someone wants to cut me off from my music and movies, they'll have to come in here to do it."

"Ouch, good point," she conceded.

"Shhh, it's starting," Ushio said with a light blush.

The movie was a combination of romance and martial arts; a young man had left his village (as well as the love of his life) to find his way in the world. During his travels he learned how to fight, and went back home to find his home village nearly destroyed and the people missing. After a lot of cool martial-arts fights he rescued the other villagers…well, most of them. His love had been killed at the hands of the 'big bad', leaving her as a free-floating spirit, able to be with him for the rest of his life but unable to touch him. Bittersweet, to be sure.

"Isn't that so romantic?" Mika gushed as she leaned into me. "She wanted to be with him so much that she couldn't move on."

"I know!" Ushio said, leaning on my other side. "And he would never look at another girl again? I wish there were more guys like that."

"That's because guys like sex," I said before I thought to stop myself.

"Seriously, Tomoya?" Kyou scolded as the girls gasped. "You're going to talk like that?"

"Well, yeah," I replied; I figured that if I was going to dig my own grave, I may as well do it with gusto. "We guys like sex because that's how we feel connected to our wives. You girls like all the talking and stuff, and that's fine. But we guys feel close when we're…" I looked up, trying to find the right word. "…trusted to be close like that."

"Sounds like an excuse to be perverted to me," Kyou said matter-of-factly.

"That's because you're not a guy," I countered just as matter-of-factly. "Besides, when you think about it, there's nothing perverted about sex."

"But I remember guys talking about it all the time in school," Kyou pointed out.

"Yeah, but that's about their attitude toward sex, not the act itself," I said. "Besides, you need to cut us some slack; here we are, minding our own business, when BAM! we're suddenly hit with all these desires we never knew existed and we have to go to school with a bunch of things that trigger those desires pretty much every day."

"Good thing we women don't have anything like that," Kyou taunted.

I knew there was something wrong about her comment, but I couldn't put my finger on it…until my eyes settled on the chocolate before us; there were only two pieces left and I knew I had purchased a whole bunch. "Okay, I think I got it; imagine having to go to school where's there's chocolate everywhere."

"That sounds silly, Okazaki-sama," Mika giggled.

"No, just hear me out. So you have to go to school with all this chocolate around, but if you even so much as look at it, you get in trouble."

"But there's nothing wrong with looking at chocolate, is there?" Ushio protested.

"It's not about the chocolate. It's…" I smacked my hands together a few times, trying to get the concept to finish forming. "Ah! I'm talking about the attitude we have toward it."

"I think I get it," Mika said. "I have a weakness to chocolate, so I have to use self-control when I'm around it."

"Thank you!" I exclaimed, pointing at her. "It's the same kind of thing with guys; in a sense, we're weak to women, so we have to use self-control. That hard part is when we're in school, around a bunch of girls, and we're suddenly hit with that weakness."

"I think I understand," Ushio said. "Now I kinda feel sorry for the guys at school; at least we can avoid chocolate by not going to the store, but you guys are around us all the time."

"Wow, Tomoya," Kyou breathed. "Where'd you learn all that?"

"Partly from living for thirty-six years," I said with an awkward grin. "But I read about the chocolate comparison about a couple of years ago. Anyway, I'm sorry for bringing it up the way I did."

"It's okay," Mika said, patting my shoulder. "I feel like I learned something today, thanks to you."

"Don't overdo it, Mika," Kyou said. "Though I guess it explains why sometimes a group of guys will try to get the dress code changed so girls are more covered."

"Ever try to do your homework with chocolate around?" I teased.

"All right, Tomoya, you've made your point," Kyou grumped. "Don't rub it in."

"You're so funny, Daddy," Ushio giggled. "I should try to do my homework like that sometime."

"Well, we could try an experiment right now," I said, feeling impish as I reached toward the remaining snacks. "We have two pieces of chocolate and three girls. Who will be the odd man – er, woman – out?"

The three of them looked at each other, then smiled, and I laughed as I had to duck to avoid three cushions thrown my way.


	22. Just Another Saturday?

**Chapter Twenty-Two: Just Another Saturday?**

"Say 'hi' to Ashton-sensei for me," Ushio requested with a finger-wave as we started on our separate ways for the morning, her to school and me to the church.

"All right," I replied, returning her wave. "Have a good day at school." I then watched until she turned a corner farther down the road before heading to my first counseling session.

On the way, I stopped by the bakery to say 'hi' to the family. "Ah! Tomoya-san!" Sanae greeted before I'd fully entered the shop. "Welcome! How are you this morning?"

"Hi, Mom," I returned. "I'm fine. I'm headed to the church, so I thought I'd stop by for a minute. Is Pops here?"

"He's out this morning, helping coach a middle-school baseball team," she replied with her trademark gentle smile.

I blinked. "Really? When did he start doing that?"

She covered her mouth as she giggled. "This morning."

"Huh," I grunted. "We're both starting something new today, I guess."

"What do you mean?"

I jerked my thumb over my shoulder in the general direction of the church. "Pastor Ashton's gonna try to help me sort out some stuff." Were it anyone else, I would have been too ashamed to admit that I was getting help. But after the situation with Ushio, my 'temper flare' at my first meeting with the pastor, and the fact that I was talking to Sanae, it didn't bother me…much. "I think I'm letting my situation with the old man control me, and I'd like to be free."

"That's wonderful!" she clapped. "Are you excited?"

"A little," I admitted. "I'm not getting my hopes up, but it'd be cool if I could stop…you know…hurting."

"You know that Akio and I do not blame you for Nagisa's death," she said consolingly.

"I know," I said as I noticed the clock on the wall. "Sorry, but I need to get going; I'll try to make it so I can stay longer next time."

"Oh, don't worry about it," she replied with a wave of her hand. "I'm just happy to see you."

"Thanks, you too," I said as I headed back to the door. "By the way; Ushio said she'd be stopping by after school today."

"Then I'm looking forward to seeing her," Sanae said with another gentle smile. "Do your best, Tomoya."

"I will, thanks. Take care." With that, I headed out the door and continued on to the church.

I approached the double-doors to the front of the church and raised my hand to knock, only to jerk in surprise as one of them suddenly opened. "Good morning, Tomoya-san!" Pastor Ashton greeted cheerfully.

"M-Morning."

"Are you ready for today?" he asked with a disarming smile.

"Nope," I said. "Lead the way."

I followed him down now-familiar hallways to his now-familiar office. "Have a seat," he offered, gesturing across his desk to the two chairs on the opposite side as he settled into his own. "How's life been treating you?"

"Pretty good," I replied, surprised to be able to say it. "My shoulder's getting stronger, and my relationship with my daughter's…well, getting stronger." I felt stupid using the same words, but they fit, so...

"That's good to hear," he replied with a broad smile. "Nice to have some positive changes in your life."

"Yeah," I grunted. "Now I just have to wait for the other shoe to drop."

"Yes, I suppose you do," he chuckled softly as he scratched his cheek. "Hey, how did your gathering go yesterday? It was a graduation party for your daughter, wasn't it?"

"Yup!" I replied, leaning back in my chair. "It was…fine, all things considered."

"Did Kyou give you any trouble?" he asked with a knowing smile.

"As usual," I quipped with a smirk. "Seriously, she was fine; we have a history, so she can't help but give me a little grief. After what she's been through, I'm kinda glad she's bugging me; at least I know she's feeling more normal."

"True." He studied me for a moment before leaning back in his own seat and crossing his arms. "Listen, uh…I'm not going to be able to help you much with your situation with Mika."

My brow furrowed. "How come?"

He scratched his cheek a couple of times before returning his arm to its crossed position. "Well, since we last met I've gotten to know more of Kyou's family, her sister Ryou and her husband, along with their kids."

I blinked a couple of times. "Good for you? So, what's the problem?"

He sighed heavily. "Since I'm in a relationship with a family member of the girl you're having trouble with, my neutrality could be called into question. It wasn't as much of an issue when I didn't know the family, but now that I do…" he trailed off with a shrug. "It doesn't mean that we can't talk about your situation at all, it just means that I can't do so in my professional position."

"I think I understand," I said, nodding. "If you're in a relationship with family, you're more likely to take their side if there's a problem."

"Exactly." He spread his hands in a shrug. "Sorry to break it to you, but I'm human, too."

I couldn't help but chuckle. "All right, I'll let it slide this time."

"I appreciate it," he said, his smile matching mine. "I can talk with you about her 'off-the-clock', but it'll have to be as 'Jeff Ashton' instead of 'Pastor Ashton'."

"I think I understand," I repeated with another nod. "I'm cool with 'off-the-clock'; anything you could tell me that would help, I'd sure appreciate."

"Thank you," he said, leaning forward to rest his elbows on the desk and his chin on his hands. "Now, shall we get to why you're here?"

"I'd like my old man to stop running my life, if that's what you're talking about," I remarked.

"How is he running your life? You've been away from him for, what, about twenty years now?" he asked, looking genuinely interested.

"Close enough," I grunted. "I dunno; it's more of a…feeling than anything."

"Do you think about him much?"

I mulled this over. "Not really, but I feel really annoyed when I do."

"Why is that?"

I stared at him in disbelief. "Well, for one, he broke my shoulder. Didn't I tell you about that?"

"Anything else?" he asked as he scribbled in his notebook.

I was surprised that he didn't answer my question, but I figured he was being a counselor so I played along. "After he broke my shoulder he started calling me 'Tomoya-kun' even though we lived in the same house."

"Ouch," he said sympathetically. "So, from your perspective, it must have looked like he injured you and then disowned you."

"That's right," I said, surprised by his understanding.

He scribbled in his book some more. "And how old were you when the accident happened?"

"Accident?"

He looked up from his notebook. "The one where your shoulder was broken. Or are you trying to say that your old man intentionally broke it?"

I was about to make a snappy reply when his words sunk in; my dad probably didn't mean to break my shoulder. "I…was fifteen when it happened," I replied, deciding to hold off on that particular topic.

More writing; he sure seemed to like note-taking. "Did you go to the hospital?"

"No," I said, feeling a little embarrassed.

"Why not?"

"I dunno," I admitted, leaning back in my seat.

"Can you hazard a guess?"

"I guess I was too angry at him to want to leave my room. I did go to the hospital eventually, but by the time I did the damage had been done."

"That's too bad," he said with another sympathetic tone. "Do you know if they could have helped you had you gone sooner?"

"No." I replied. "I mean, I don't know; I never thought to ask."

"In a way, it's a good thing your shoulder was reinjured when it was," he offered with a smile and a slight shrug.

"I suppose," I snorted with a small smile. "I'd prefer it if it'd never been busted in the first place."

"Amen to that," he said, surprising me. "Getting back to earlier; why do you think he started calling you 'Tomoya-kun'?"

I thought about his question for a minute. "I'm not really sure; the way he said it made it sound like I was an old friend or something."

"That's odd," he remarked, stroking his chin. "So he may have been addressing you as though you weren't a member of the family. Did you ever ask him about it?"

"No," I replied. "By that time I was pretty much done with him."

"That's a shame."

"Yeah, sure," I said stiffly, not sure what else to say.

"Would you like to have your relationship with your old man restored?"

"What do you mean?"

He gestured to me. "You've lost a lot during your life. You just got your shoulder back; would you like to have your father back?"

"Why would I want that?" I asked suspiciously.

"Well, for one thing, so he could stop running your life," he said; I half-expected to see a smirk, but his expression was serious. "He had a negative impact on your life physically for almost twenty years until your shoulder was restored. It sounds like he still has a perpetual negative impact on your mind and emotions, even after all this time. It'd be good if you could get your heart and mind restored, just like your shoulder."

"Damn right," I muttered, then caught myself. "Oh…sorry."

"Don't worry about it," he told me. "Let's get the bigger issues taken care of, and then I'll start getting on you about your language," he said with a wink, causing me to smile.

"Fair enough, thanks," I chuckled. "Listen, uh…could we talk about something else for now? I need some time to think about what we've talked about."

"Already?" he asked with a raised eyebrow. "Well, if that's what you need… Well… How's your daughter adjusting to home life?"

"Really well," I replied. "A lot better than I thought she would, to be honest."

"That's good. No odd behaviors or any signs of relapse?"

"None that I can see," I told him. "I think she's just glad to be free of the responsibility of being my wife."

"And you're probably glad she is, too."

"Yup. As far as I can tell, she's a normal sixteen-year-old girl," I said, then smirked. "Well, better than normal, of course; she's Nagisa's daughter, after all."

"Of course," he said with an understanding grin. "And yours."

"R-Right…" I replied, suddenly feeling less certain.

"Well," he said with a clap of his hands, "if you're not up to talking about your old man anymore, and Shio-chan appears to be doing fine, I'm not sure that we have much to talk about for this session. Shall we break, then?"

"One more thing," I said, raising my hand. "I'd like to talk about Mika-san, if possible."

He studied me for a moment before smiling as he gestured toward the office door. "Let's step outside, shall we?"

"Okay," I replied, returning his smile as I got up from my seat.

He led me back toward the entrance to the church and out the door. From there, he led me across the road that ran in front of the building to a small park-like area on the other side, where he sat down on one of the benches. "Go ahead and sit," he offered. "Or stand. I'm 'off-the-clock' right now."

I chuckled softly to myself as I settled onto the bench; the wooden slats creaked under my weight. "I could be wrong, but I think she's getting more…persistent?"

"Okay…" he said. "Have you come to a decision about remarrying?"

"What has that got to do with…never mind," I amended as I remembered our prior conversations.

"Do you want someone to share your life with, Tomoya-san?" he asked, seemingly out-of-the-blue. "I could be wrong here, but I get the sense that you do."

I let my eyes drift to the white puffy clouds overhead as I thought about his question. "Yeah, I guess I do," I admitted. "I guess I haven't thought about it 'cause I've been happy raising Ushio."

"But she won't be around forever," he said, pointing at me. "You could end up with a pretty severe case of empty nest syndrome."

"'Empty nest syndrome'?"

He grinned awkwardly. "I haven't heard an equivalent term over here, but in the States it's used to refer to a situation where the kids have all left home, and the parents are left not knowing what to do with themselves since they spent all of their time and energy on the children. Since they didn't cultivate their relationship with each other they end up feeling lost, unsure of what to do with themselves, let alone each other."

"But Nagisa's been gone for years; what does that have to do with me?" I then blinked as I realized that I didn't feel the level of pain that I used to whenever Nagisa's death was mentioned.

"The point is that the parent or parents spend so much time and energy on their kids that they don't know what to do when the kids are gone," he explained. "The focus of their attention and routine has up and moved out."

I thought of what life would be like for me after Ushio moved out. "I'd never really thought about that, to be honest. The…apartment would seem kinda empty."

"Even with grandchildren visiting, it's still not the same as having those you can spend consistent time with," he said, spreading his hands. "Do you have any friends, anyone you could visit or talk to outside the family to have some kind of connection?"

"Well…" I had to think about his question. "I guess there's Yuusuke."

"Who's that?"

"Yoshino Yuusuke. He used to be one of my coworkers at the electrical company," I explained. "He helped me get my first job there, but sometime after I transferred to Accounting he went back to music."

"Yoshino Yuusuke…" he murmured, looking up as he steepled his hands. "I think I've heard of him. Didn't he come out with 'Love and Spanner' or something like that a long time ago?"

"Yeah, that's him. 'Soul Magma' was his last album before he retired a few years ago," I told him. "Anyway, yeah, that's him."

"Huh," he grunted, clearly impressed. "Not every day you meet someone who knows someone famous."

"I haven't seen him in a long time, but I'm sure I'd be welcome," I mused. "I wonder how Fuuko's doing…"

"Fuuko?"

I shook my head to snap myself out of my temporary reverie. "Yuusuke's sister-in-law. If I remember correctly, she's about my age. She was on her way back from orientation – for high school, that is – when she got in an accident that left her in a coma for about…seven? Seven years? Yeah, I think it was seven years."

"That's a long time," the pastor noted quietly.

"Anyway, after she came out of it, she'd come over to help out with Ushio. I can't remember when she stopped coming over, but I remember she stopped because…well, Ushio was older, but also because Kouko-san wanted her sister to work on creating a life for herself."

"Do you know if she ever adjusted to normal life?"

"No, we kinda lost contact with each other shortly after that," I told him. "Like I said, Yuusuke went back to music so of course I didn't see him at work anymore."

"Well, now might be as good a time as any to reestablish contact," he suggested. "You have a history with the family, and it'd be a shame to lose that completely to time."

"True… I guess I could visit and see how they're doing." I sent him a lopsided grin. "They should let me in."

"One can only hope," he said, sharing my grin.

* * *

After our session ended, I headed back home. One uneventful walk later I entered the apartment and prepared some tea.

Ushio came through the door a few minutes later. "I'm home!"

"Welcome home," I greeted. "Do you want some tea?"

"Yes, please!"

I pulled out another mug and set it on the counter and tossed a couple of tea bags in it. "Hey, Ushio? Have you seen Fuuko since she watched you?"

"Fuuko-san? Wow, I haven't seen her in a long time," she replied. "I've seen her a couple of times, but it's been a while; She was with her sister and told me that she was going to get a job so she could adopt me."

"I wonder how that's been going," I snorted as I poured the hot water into our mugs.

"I dunno," she giggled. "I wonder how she's doing."

"Well, I was thinking about trying to visit them," I told her. "Pastor Ashton asked me if I had any friends outside the family, and they were the closest I could think of."

"Ooo! How exciting!" she squealed. "Could I come along?"

"I don't see why not," I replied, then thought about it some more. "Actually, I should go by myself first, just in case."

"Okay. So, what made you think of them all of a sudden?" she asked.

"Well, you know I had my meeting with Pastor Ashton this morning…"

"Yeah…"

"…and he pointed out that I would be all by myself after you move out…"

"Okay…"

"…and, like I said, he asked me if I had any friends outside the family," I finished. "When he mentioned that, the first thing I thought of was them."

"Yoshino-san did help you get your first job…" she mused. "Well, whenever you go, say 'hi' to Fuuko-san for me, would you please?"

"If she's there, sure thing," I said with a smile. "If everything works out all right, you could come with me another time."

"Sounds great!" she chirped.

At the usual time, we heard a knock at the front door and smiled at each other. "Do you want to get it this time?" I asked.

"Sure!" she exclaimed, hopping to her feet to head to the door. She opened it to find her upperclassman on our front porch, as expected. "Good afternoon, Mika-senpai."

"Good afternoon," I heard Mika return. "Is…Is your dad here?"

"Right here," I said, deliberately stepping into view. "Good afternoon, Mika-san. Come on in. How's your day been?"

"G-Good," she replied, fisting one hand over her chest as she stepped into our home. "C-Can I make you some tea?"

"We've already had some," Ushio replied, "but could we make some for you?"

She looked from one of us to the other before looking to the floor. "Th-That would be nice, thank you."

My daughter and I shared a look before I headed to the kitchen, deliberately giving her a chance to talk with her schoolmate. "It should be ready shortly," I said as I made myself scarce.

I could still hear what was being said in the living room, though: "What's wrong, senpai?" I heard Ushio ask.

"I…I've been feeling weird lately," Mika admitted, causing me to pause the tea preparation.

"Do you need me to walk you home?" Ushio offered. "I'm sure Daddy'll let me go if it'll help you."

"No! No…" I heard Mika reply. "It's just…"

"You look scared, senpai."

"W-Well, I am…"

"How come?" my daughter asked with her usual honest concern, bringing a smile to my face.

There was a long pause, then Mika's voice came even more quietly: "There's this guy I like, and…"

"Does he know?"

"I hope not!" she blurted, and then I heard a slap of skin against skin and I figured that she'd just slapped her hands over her mouth. "I mean, I don't think so."

There was another long pause before Ushio spoke again. "Come on; let's go to my room." I heard them get up and head to the hallway. As they passed the kitchen they stopped and she asked me, "Daddy? Could Mika-senpai drink her tea in my room?"

"I don't mind," I asked, feigning ignorance as I turned to find Ushio leading her upperclassman by the hand. "Is everything okay?"

"It's fine," my daughter replied easily. "We just need to have some girl time, if that's okay."

"Sure, go ahead," I said as I held out the steaming mug. "Here you go."

Mika reached out with trembling hands, only for Ushio to intercept it with her own. "I'll carry that for you," she said.

"Thank you," Mika said, looking down at the floor. I found myself wishing she'd just come clean so the situation could be dealt with. The poor thing…

As they headed down the hallway to Ushio's room I grabbed my cell phone and stepped through the front door, putting a reasonable distance between myself and the door so I wouldn't be accidentally heard. I called up Ryou's cell number but it went right to her voice mail, so I tried Kappei's.

Fortunately, he was available. _"Hey, this is Hiiragi!"_ Apparently he knew it was me but we Japanese had our customs, after all.

"Hey, Kappei; it's Tomoya."

" _Yeah, how's it going? Is my daughter on her way home, then?"_

"No, she just got here. Listen, did she seem…I don't know, strange when she got home last night? Or before she left to come over here?"

" _She was a little excited last night, sure. She seemed fine today, though. Why?"_

I licked my lips, feeling my face heat up. "Well, she arrived at our place looking really nervous, and my daughter and I are a little worried. Ushio's talking with her right now, but I was hoping you could tell us how we could help her."

" _Come to think of it, she_ _has_ _been kinda…I dunno,_ _anxious_ _lately. Ryou thinks she may have a crush on a boy at school, but if she does she's been pretty tight-lipped about it."_

"I see…"

" _I wouldn't know, of course, but I figure my wife should know about these things, being a girl and all."_

"Of course."

" _Are you saying that she's_ _never_ _acted funny over there before?"_

I really wanted to tell him my suspicions, but I couldn't; if I was right, it could damage her relationship with her parents, and if I was wrong… "Looking back, her behavior could be considered…evasive. But since I didn't know her too well at the time, I guess I unconsciously chalked it up to…well, not knowing her very well."

" _That makes sense,"_ he replied, much to my relief. _"Well, if she causes trouble for you, then I apologize."_

"Don't worry about it," I said, feeling a little evasive myself and also feeling guilty for it. "I just hope that her…situation's resolved soon."

" _Thanks. So I take it you haven't had to deal with this kind of thing with Ushio yet?"_

"Not…yet, no," I replied, trying not to remember… "She's focused on her schooling right now. She just started at Hikarizaka, remember?"

" _Yeah, I remember."_ A brief pause. _"Well, is there anything else you needed?"_

"No, just that. Sorry to bother you."

" _Not at all! Thanks for worrying about her!"_

"No problem," I replied, then smirked to myself. "Worrying's what I do best."

" _It sure is!"_ he chuckled, sharing the joke. _"Well, take it easy and I'll catch you later!"_

"Take it easy," I returned. I ended the call and pocketed my phone as I reentered the apartment.

"Oh, there you are!" I glanced up from exchanging my shoes to find Ushio and Mika watching me form the kotatsu; apparently she'd been waiting for me. "I didn't know you'd left."

"Had to make a phone call," I said; I was technically telling the truth, though I found myself briefly wondering what Pastor Ashton would think of my omission of the details. "Sorry if I made you worry."

"Not at all," she said with a shake of her head, and I noticed that Mika appeared to be studying me. "Like I said, I didn't know you were out."

"Did your 'girl talk' go okay?" I asked, trying to change the subject. "I'm not asking for details, of course."

"It went fine," she said easily.

"Are you feeling better, Mika-san?" I asked our purple-haired guest.

"Much," she said, ducking her head. "I just got myself all worked up needlessly, and Ushio helped me calm down."

"That's good," I said as I made my way to the kitchen. "Well, I'm willing to take care of dinner tonight, if you're not up to it; I can use my arm, and you've had a rough time, so…" I wasn't sure how to finish that thought, so I let it trail off. "You're welcome to stay for dinner, though; I'd hate to send you home with an empty stomach."

"I'm fine," she replied, then exchanged a smile with my daughter before they got to their feet and headed toward me.

"What? What's going on?" I asked as they each took hold of an arm.

"We'll need the kitchen for dinner prep, and…y-you're in the way," Ushio stuttered as she and Mika half-dragged me out of the kitchen.

"All right," I chuckled, getting the not-so-subtle hint as I shook my arms free from their grip. "I'll go hide in my room and read, then. Have fun, you two." I headed into my room, closed the door behind me, and settled in a corner with my latest obsession; I couldn't remember when I got into reading so much, but I liked it as a nice, quiet way to pass the time. Learned quite a bit, too, depending on what I was reading.

I must have been pretty engrossed in my book, because I jumped with a yelp to a knock at my bedroom door. "C-Come in."

The door slid open, and Ushio stuck her head in. "Dinner's ready."

"Already?" I glanced at the clock; nearly an hour had passed. "Oh. I guess it has been long enough, huh? I guess I was really into my book."

"I guess so," she replied with a giggle.

"I'll be there in a minute," I told her as I hurried to my feet. "I'll try to hurry."

"It's okay," she said as I followed her out the door. "Mika-senpai's still putting stuff on the table, so you don't need to hurry."

"Okay." I parted with her at the bathroom to head in and wash my hands and face. I then headed out to the living room to find the girls chatting quietly at the kotatsu. "Sorry to keep you waiting."

"Not at all!" Mika said as I settled into my spot. "We just got everything on the table."

"Thanks," I said as we put our hands together.

" _Itadakimasu."_

"So, when is the Founder's Festival again?" I asked as we started to fill our plates.

They looked at each other before Mika spoke. "It starts on Friday at eight in the morning and goes until 10 PM on Sunday."

"And when did you want to go?" I followed up. "Er, I guess you'd be there most of the time, wouldn't you, being a member of the Student Council and all."

"Yup!" she chirped, beaming. "But I'd love it if you could be there Sunday night for the fireworks. I mean, if both of you could be there."

"Fireworks, huh?" I couldn't remember the high school ever having fireworks during the festival. "That's pretty neat. I don't think we had fireworks when I was a student."

"They started it about a couple of years ago," Mika said, then gave me an awkward glance. "The school's…grown a bit since you were there."

"I guess…" I replied as I tried to remember my last visit. "Man, how time flies."

After a delicious dinner, Mika called her parents to ask about staying longer. "I wouldn't want to eat and run," she explained, to me and then to her parents. After getting permission, she and Ushio worked on homework while I cleaned up after dinner and did some general tidying. After they were done Ushio got out a set of playing cards.

"Would it be okay for us to play a couple of games before she goes home?'" my daughter asked.

I glanced at the clock. "One game should be fine, but it is getting kinda late," I pointed out.

"Would you play with us?" our guest asked.

"No, thanks," I politely declined. "I'm not much fun to play with, anyway."

"That's not true!" Ushio protested. "You and I used to play cards all the time! We always had fun!"

Did we? I pondered her words for a moment; did I unconsciously assume that I'd be no fun? Rather than overthink it, I decided to experiment. "Okay, count me in," I said, feeling more than a little uncertain. "Don't blame me if I spoil your fun, though; I warned you, after all."

"Don't worry; you won't," my sweet daughter said with a smile as she patted my cushion. "You've always been fun to play with."

"Now I'm looking forward to playing with you, too," Mika said, causing me to feel a little childish.

"What are we playing?" I asked as I grunted into my seat.

We ended up playing a card game that the girls learned at school, called 'Old Maid'. "You take one card out of the deck and divide the remaining cards among the players," my daughter explained. "You make pairs, and whoever ends up with the last card loses."

Since I had the largest hands, I shuffled the deck and dealt the cards. We then spent a short time sorting our cards and putting down any pairs we found. We then started drawing from each others' hands in a clockwise circle; Ushio drew from me, I drew from Mika, and Mika drew from Ushio.

After a few turns, though, I started feeling impish, so as Ushio reached to take a card from my hand I quickly jerked my cards away. She gave me a puzzled look as she reached out again, only for me to jerk the cards away again. "Daddy, stop," she whined as Mika giggled.

"Sorry," I said, and held my hand perfectly still as she drew a card. She then placed a matching set down and the game continued.

Eventually, Mika was left with the extra card, so I shuffled the deck and dealt again, and we began playing in the opposite direction.

I started feeling impish again, so when Mika reached for a card I jerked my hand away. She got an impish grin of her own and shot her hand out, trying to grab a card, but I saw it coming and jerked my hand away again.

"Daddy, stop teasing our guest," my daughter scolded.

"It's okay, Ushio; I can handle it," Mika replied, her gaze locked on my cards. A moment later her hand shot out again, and I barely got my cards away from her grasp. A couple more failed tries had her giggling. "You may as well give up, Okazaki-sama; I will get that card!"

"Go for it," I challenged, feeling bolder than usual. Truth be told, I was just glad to see her having fun after her earlier anxiety.

A few more failed tries and she lunged across the kotatsu at me, and I had to roll onto my back to keep her from getting a card. Because my arms were partly blocking my view, a giggle from my left was my only warning before something landed on me, which turned out to be Mika, half-laying on me as she reached for the cards held in my hands held out beyond my head. I laughed as I quickly transferred the cards to my right hand and held them out toward Ushio, who took them from me with a grin of her own and quickly hid them behind her back.

I kept acting like I had the cards in my hand, though, rolling around and continuing to laugh as the giggling girl desperately tried to grab a card from my empty hand. She finally got hold of my hands, and… "Now I've got you!" she cried triumphantly. "Hey, wait a minute…where'd they go?"

"Where'd what go?" I asked, impish smile still in place.

"Your cards!" she demanded as she sat up on her heels.

I propped myself up on my elbows and made a show of opening my hands. "What cards? I don't have any cards."

Her face briefly registered shock before resolving into a wicked grin. "Oh, I see how it is! You're hiding them! Well, I'll find 'em!" My eyes momentarily widened in surprise as she pounced, half-pinning me to the floor. "Where are they?" she demanded through her giggles. "I know you're hiding them somewhere!"

"M-Mika-senpai!" I heard Ushio exclaim as my assailant plunged her hand into the breast pocket of my long-sleeved shirt.

I, on the other hand, decided to play along. "You'll never find them!" I bellowed, though a chuckle escaped as she found a somewhat ticklish spot. "I've *snort* hidden them too good for the likes of you!"

"We'll see about that!" she countered as her fingers danced up my arms, presumably to see if I was hiding them under my sleeves. One of her fingers poked into my armpit, and I twitched at the ticklish sensation. "I'll find 'em, just you wait!"

She started patting down the sides of my body, so I decided it was time to fight back; I knew my right arm wasn't up to the task, so I grabbed her right wrist with my left hand and started pushing it away. "Hey!" I fake-protested. "You're getting a little personal, here!"

"Then give up the card, Okazaki-sama!" she countered. "Only then will I show you mercy!"

"Never!"

"Then face…hey!" she protested as she tried unsuccessfully to pull her wrist from my grip. "No fair!"

"Then don't start what you can't finish!" I laughed as she tried to pry my fingers loose.

She got another wicked grin. "Oh, I have ways of finishing it!" she said, and she reached for my face, only to dart her hand around to the side of my neck and started wriggling her fingers there. "Neck Cootchie-Cootchie! What do you think of that?"

"ACK!" She really had found a ticklish spot! "All right, Mika-san: what do you think of THIS!?" I countered, shooting my right hand out toward her body and wriggling my fingers just below her ribs. "Have some, uh…Tummy Trouble!"

"H-HEY!" she yelled, giggling as she tried to twist her body away while maintaining her assault. "Y-You c-can't do that!"

"Ha-ha! It looks like I can!" I crowed victoriously.

"You-" She pulled her free hand from my neck to grab my right wrist. "I'm sorry for taking advantage of your weakness, Okazaki-sama, but I must win!"

"Never!" I yelled, thoroughly enjoying my efforts to free my hand from her grip as she tried to free hers from mine. I found an opening and twisted my body, rolling her onto her back. "Now you will face…my…" I trailed off as I realized that I was laying half on top of her as she lay on her back on the floor, our positions having almost exactly reversed.

"H-Having fun?" my daughter's gentle voice laced with equally gentle humor asked.

I felt my smile fade and the blood drain from my face as I looked down into my former opponent's flushed face, and I quickly rolled off of her, releasing her wrist as I did so. "I…I'm sorry, Mika-san; I was having so much fun that…" I was embarrassed to admit it, but... "…I wasn't thinking about what I was doing." I sat up on my heels and reached out toward her. "Here, let me help you up. I'm really sorry about that."

She sat up with the biggest smile I'd ever seen on her, though her cheeks were still flushed and she had a slight glisten of sweat. "I-It's okay. That was fun! I wish we didn't have to stop."

"Well, it's…not appropriate for…me to treat you like that." Once she was able to get back to her spot at the kotatsu I extended a hand to my daughter. "May I have my cards, please?"

"Sure, Daddy," she replied, bringing them out from behind her back. "I hope you had fun."

I simply cleared my throat as I retrieved my cards and held them out toward our guest; I couldn't look her in the eye, but I'd be damned if I would let my embarrassment ruin the game. "H-Here, Mika-san; go ahead and…and draw."

I felt a card drawn from my hand and heard a sigh a moment later. "Okazaki-sama? Would…Would you call me just 'Mika' from now on? I think you've known me long enough."

She had a point, but I was still uncomfortable with the idea, not only because of our…recent activity, but also because…my stomach churned as I remembered her possible attraction. What the hell was I thinking, getting into a tickle contest with a teenager, and one who possibly desired me? "I'll…consider it," I said, unable to say much else.

The rest of the game went more quietly, with me ending up with the extra card, much to Ushio's delight. "I win!" she squealed. "That was fun!"

"It…sure was," Mika said while glancing at me repeatedly. "We'll have to play that again sometime."

"Well, we'd better see you off," I said, forcing myself to check the time. "I'd hate for you to get on your way too late and make your parents worry."

"Okay." Mika got to her feet and collected her things and headed to the door to put on her outdoor shoes. "Thank you for a really fun time."

"It was our pleasure," Ushio replied, relieving me of the responsibility of coming up with something to say. "See you tomorrow afternoon?"

"O-Of course," Mika replied while glancing at me again. "H-Have a good evening."

"You, too," I replied. "Have a safe trip home."

She said nothing more, but quickly bowed before heading out the door and down the road toward the train station.

"I'm glad we were able to help her," Ushio said as I closed the door. "She was so anxious when she got here. Thank you for playing with her."

I cringed at the memory of my behavior. "You're…welcome? Listen Ushio, I shouldn't have acted like that; it was inappropriate."

"But she seemed happy about it," she countered.

"Yeah, but…" Truth was, I enjoyed it as well. Truth also was, I was too tired to talk about it. "I need to call her folks to let them know she's on her way home."

"Okay," she said, then yawned. "Maybe I should turn in early tonight."

"It's been kind of an exciting day," I noted. "I'll make that call and then probably turn in myself."

"Okay. In case I don't see you later: Good night, Daddy," she said as she wrapped her arms around me.

"Good night," I returned, along with her hug. As she made her way down the hall to her room, I pulled my cell phone out of my pocked as I headed out the door. As I dialed Kappei's number I tried to figure out how I was going to tell him what happened.

" _Hey, this is Kappei!"_

"Hey, Kappei, this is Tomoya."

" _Yeah, what's up? Is she on her way home this time?"_ I smiled as I heard the good humor in his tone.

"Yeah, she's finally on her way. Listen, something happened while she was over here…"

" _Is she okay?"_

"Yeah, she's fine as far as Ushio and I could tell. We were playing a card game and it, uh…kinda got out-of-hand."

" _How does a card game get 'out-of-hand'?"_

"When I start fooling around and yanking the cards away right when your daughter's about to draw one." I gave him a brief explanation of the game we'd been playing, and my antics that led to our…incident. "So we ended up wrestling for a bit which, in hindsight, was completely inappropriate. At the time, I was just glad she was having a good time after her earlier stress."

" _Hm."_

"Look, I'll understand if you don't want her to come over anymore. Ushio's back, so she can help me with cooking, and I have most of the use of my right arm, so I could cook my own stuff if I had to. I just don't want to give you any reason to not trust me…or her, for that matter."

A longish pause. _"I'll talk with her when she gets home, and have my wife talk with her when_ _she_ _gets home. Honestly, though, what you describe sounds like Mika being Mika. If anything, I may not want her not going over if she's acting too familiar like that."_

"In all fairness, I was teasing her."

" _But Ryou and I still have expectations when it comes to her behavior outside the home. I'm sure you can understand that."_

"Yeah, I just don't like the idea of her getting in trouble because I was being a bad example."

" _I feel you, but she's her own woman…to a point. At eighteen, she should be able to exercise enough self-control to not give in to impulses."_

"All right, Kappei; I'm sorry, I'm not trying to tell you how to raise your daughter."

" _We're cool, man. I appreciate your honesty and…transparency when it comes to this. It makes you more manly in my book."_

I chuckled as I recalled him saying something similar in the past. "Thanks, that means a lot to me. Anyway, she's on her way, and I was a bad boy."

" _Got it,"_ he replied, laughing. _"Well, behave yourself from now on, and we'll talk to Mika and go from there."_

"All right. Thanks, Kappei; have a great evening."

" _You, too. Laters!"_

I chuckled again at his energy as we ended the call. I sobered, though, as I reentered the apartment, hoping that my antics hadn't caused more problems than they might have solved.


	23. What's Old is New Again

**Chapter Twenty-Three: What's Old is New Again**

I made my way down formerly-familiar streets to a house that I hadn't visited in what seemed like ages, and I smiled to myself as I remembered all those years ago when Kouko would bring her younger sister over to play with Ushio. I never did find out how Mom Furukawa and Kouko knew each other; back then I was more concerned about putting as much of my life together as possible. At this point, though, it was because I never thought to ask, likely because it would be more of a curiosity question than anything, so it slipped my mind more easily.

I figured that Mom had Fuuko come over to give me someone my age to talk with…for all the good that it did. It seemed like I spent more time babysitting Fuuko than I did having any kind of adult conversation with her. In hindsight, it made sense; she'd been in an accident at around age fifteen, so she was still mentally that age when she came out of it. Her mannerisms seemed a lot younger, though, causing me to worry that she may have suffered some kind of brain damage. I could see it; being comatose for years could cause some brain problems. It was weird, though; why did I seem to have a memory of meeting her at high school…? It wasn't like a real memory; it was like…something from a dream, the end of a dream when one is starting to wake up. Strange…

I shook my head to clear my thoughts as a familiar house came into view, and I quickly found myself standing before the home of the teacher and the former rock star. Considering how long it had been since the last time I'd seen them, I was relieved to see 'Yoshino' on the small wooden signboard next to the door. I reached out and knocked, then stepped back to wait politely.

Less than a minute later, the door opened to reveal an attractive, middle-aged-looking woman. "Well, for goodness' sake! It's been a long time!"

"Hello, Kouko-san," I replied, a smile spreading across my face at the sight of my former babysitter's older sister. She had certainly aged well, with just a few gray hairs here and there; while I really didn't know how old she was, I knew that she was older than her husband who, in turn, was several years older than myself, so I figured she had to be close to fifty, if not past. How time flew… "It's good to see you again. I'm sorry for not calling ahead, but I lost Yuusuke's number."

"Oh, don't worry about that; come in, come in!" she gushed, reaching out to take me by the shoulder to guide me into her home and into what appeared to be the living room. "Yuusuke's out back right now, but take a seat and I'll go get him. Yuusuke! Yuusuke?" she called as she headed toward the back of the house. "You'll never guess who's here!"

I smiled as I heard a familiar voice, one that I hadn't heard literally in years, unless I counted the times I'd heard his songs coming from the music shops. A couple of minutes later Kouko returned, pulling my old coworker into the living room by the arm while he finished wiping his hands on a paper towel. "Yes, Kouko, could I finish cleaning…?" he trailed off, giving me a nod as I stood up from my seat. "Hey."

"Hey," I greeted in return.

"Oh, for goodness' sake," Kouko said while gently whapping her husband's arm. "You haven't seen Tomoya-san in years, and that's all you can say?"

"It's okay, Kouko-san," I said. "There was a lot of heart in that 'hey'."

"See?" he said, smiling at his wife. "He understands."

"Ugh," she huffed as she turned back to me. "Could we offer you some tea? Coffee?"

"Tea, thank you."

"You two go ahead and get reacquainted," she instructed, gesturing to the seating in the living room. "I'll be out with the tea in a few minutes."

"Well, Okazaki," he intoned as we took our seats, "it's been a long time. What have you been up to? You still crunching numbers for the power company?"

"Yup," I replied easily. "What about you? How's retired life treating you?"

He got a faraway look in his eyes, my cue that he was about to say something artistic. "It's hard, you know? When you're young, you can feel the flame burning brightly, but it starts to flicker out as you get older."

"Feeling your age, then?"

He leveled his gaze at me. "My flame burns as brightly as ever, but young people today aren't interested in its light. I sang about the heart, while modern songs are all about the dark."

He actually did sound burned out to me, but not from being tired of singing. "Well…maybe…you need to keep putting your light out there? Maybe you could…light up the darkness out there?"

"They love the dark too much."

"Maybe it's because they haven't seen light in so long, that…" I was having a hard time staying in his world. "…maybe the dark looks like light to them?"

He nodded slowly as he appeared to consider my words. "You make a fair point."

"If you're worried about them rejecting you because of your age, just use a pseudonym," I tried suggesting helpfully.

He nodded a few more times, then gave me an amused look. "Okazaki, did you come here to lecture me about my passion?"

"N-No!" I exclaimed, waving my hands. "I just think it's a shame that you've stopped making music when you still have so much to give."

"Are you trying to talk sense into my husband?" Kouko's voice interjected as she came into the room with a tray, upon which sat three mugs. "I told him to not give up, but he decided that his time had passed."

"You really think your time has passed?" I said, getting fired up. "That's not the Yoshino Yuusuke I remember. I remember a guy who fought for the hearts of his fans, who loved and loved…" I paused as I tried to find the right words, "…passionately! That's it! A guy who loved passionately and who wasn't afraid to share that passionate love of life with others!"

"Okazaki," he intoned, amused look still in place, "have you even considered getting into music? Or poetry, at least?"

"Not my strength," I said, then wagged a finger at him. "You, though…"

He studied me for a moment longer, then chuckled softly. "All right, Okazaki; I'll think about it." He sighed heavily. "The fire still burns brightly within me…" He got another faraway look in his eyes before getting to his feet, collecting his mug as he did. "Sorry, man, gotta go; I've got work to do." Mug in hand he left the room, heading out a different door than the one he'd come in.

Kouko turned wide eyes on me. "How did you do that?"

"Do what?"

She gestured back where her husband had left the room. "He hasn't been to his old studio in ages, and now…" She quickly angled her head down in a way that I recognized as the onset of tears.

I tried some basic math, and: "Are you saying that he hasn't done any music since he retired?"

She nodded while blotting her eyes with the back of her hand, then reached to her side to grab a tissue. "It broke my heart when he said he was done with music. After all, music was his life, so I was afraid that he'd given up on life."

I wasn't sure what to say, so I angled my head to try to show her that I was listening.

"The sales of his albums had gone down quite a bit. We weren't worried about it financially, it was… I was worried that Yuusuke was being rejected."

"I could see that," I offered quietly. "Maybe… Maybe he just needed a sabbatical? Some…time away to see what was happening in the world, figure out how he could, uh…speak to it?"

"I had thought something similar," she said, returning her gaze to me. "Thank you, Tomoya-san."

"You're welcome?" I replied awkwardly. "I really didn't come here to turn your household upside-down, honest."

"No," she chuckled with a shake of her head. "Our home has been upside-down since he retired. Yuusuke is supposed to be singing; he's made to sing, to communicate with others. To reveal thoughts and feelings that the listeners themselves might not even be aware that they have."

I thought back to a couple of songs of his that had hit me close to home. "Yeah, I think I get what you mean."

"You see?" she said with a gentle smile.

I felt a little awkward, so I reached for my mug. "Well, I'm glad I could hel-"

SLAM!

I jumped at the sound of something banging against the front door.

"Ah, it sounds like Fuuko's here," Kouko said as she rose to her feet. "Excuse me for a moment."

"Sure," I replied, watching her leave as I tried to reassemble my nerves.

A minute later she returned with a younger woman I assumed was Fuuko. I didn't actually have to assume, as she looked almost exactly the way I remembered her; short, with long, light-brown hair tied toward the end with a green ribbon. Golden eyes peered out from her still-unruly bangs. I'd been told that I'd aged well, but it appeared that my old babysitter hadn't aged at all. "Fuuko, you remember Tomoya-san, don't you? You used to play with his daughter."

"Play?" she said in the same slightly husky voice I remembered. "Fuuko's an adult, and adults don't play."

"They can play with children," Kouko said in a tone that told me she'd had this conversation with her younger sister more than a couple of times. "Parents play with their children, don't they?"

Fuuko appeared to consider her sister's words. "That's true, but Fuuko doesn't have any children."

My heart sank a little; it had been years, but Fuuko still talked the same way. I must have had a concerned look on my face as I looked up at Kouko, because she simply gave me what appeared to be an understanding smile as she continued to talk with her sister. "Anyway, Tomoya-san's visiting today; are you up to talking with him?"

"I suppose," Fuuko huffed as she plopped onto the couch next to me and looked at me out of the corner of her eye. "Hello, Okazaki-san." Well, at least she remembered my last name without prompting; that was something.

"Hello, Fuuko," I returned. "How's life treating you?"

"Meh," she grunted as she scooted a little closer to me, running her fingers through her hair as she did so. "Onee-san makes Fuuko go to work, but other than that, it's okay."

"Fuuko's had a job for the last few years," Kouko explained. "She… Well, what do you do for a living, Fuuko?"

"Fuuko works at a bookstore," she replied in a bored tone. "Fuuko puts books on the shelf, rings up purchases…very important work."

"I can see that," I said smiling in spite of the sadness I felt for her. How old was she on the inside, anyway? "Do you live here with your sister?"

She made a show of wrinkling her nose at me. "Of course not! Fuuko lives at Fuuko's own place! Fuuko's an adult, after all."

"Of course," I said, giving Kouko a cautious glance. "So, are you visiting your sister today? Is that why you're here?"

"Fuuko comes over on Saturdays to visit," she announced as she scooted closer. "Fuuko doesn't have time to visit during the week, of course; Fuuko's a very busy and important person."

"Of course," I found myself repeating.

"Okazaki-san could come over during the week, though; Fuuko's not that busy." She lay back on the couch, nearly putting her slipper-clad feet in my lap.

"Fuuko," Kouko said in a calm tone that sounded forced, "Tomoya-san is a guest in my home, not your footrest."

"Fuuko knows this," the diminutive woman said as she visibly slid her feet away from me, sitting up again.

"I believe Yuusuke's in his office; maybe you could see if he's composing again?"

"Composing?" Fuuko shot to a fully-upright position. "Is Yuusuke-san going to write music again?"

"Why don't you go and see?" Kouko suggested with a twinkle in her eye.

Fuuko hopped to her feet and bolted for the door. Before she passed through the doorway, though, she stopped and turned to look at me. "Bring Shio-chan next time, okay?"

"Um, sure," I replied, not sure what to make of the whole situation.

She gazed at me a moment longer before running her fingers through her hair as she exited the room.

As the door slid shut behind her I took in a deep breath, held it for a four-count, then released it slowly.

"It's been a while, hasn't it?" I looked up to see Kouko studying me with a gentle smile.

I chuckled lightly. "Sorry if I was rude; I guess it's been so long…I wasn't sure what to expect."

Kouko looked toward the door where her sister had left. "It's been hard for her since…well, since coming out of her coma." She looked back at me. "Does she seem any different than how you remember her?"

"A little," I admitted. "I'm not sure how this is going to sound, but she seemed a little…flirtatious?"

"She's not normally like that," she admitted. "Yuusuke and I have been around her all the time, so we haven't noticed any real changes in her. It's like…" She shrugged with her hands. "It's like she's still fifteen at almost thirty-six."

I had forgotten; Fuuko was around the same age as me, and would have graduated at the same time if she hadn't been in the accident. "Does she know that she's…?" I didn't want to say 'retarded', mainly because I wasn't sure if it was accurate, but also because the word was commonly used as an insult.

"She's developmentally disabled, yes, and she is aware of it," Kouko said heavily. "In spite of how she presents herself, it bothers her to no end."

"Is that why she's an 'adult' and 'busy' and 'important'?"

She nodded sadly. "She so wants to grow up, but it's like the coma froze her at that point in her development. I think she's improved a little, but…" She sighed. "I'm just glad she's been able to keep a job and her own place."

"I'm sorry," I said, not sure what else I could say. "And I'm sorry if I was rude to her."

"You weren't," Kouko replied, a small smile spreading across her face. "She's always been fond of you and your daughter. Though, to be honest, I'm surprised she responded to you as…positively…as she did."

I coughed politely, really wanting to move on. "Well, I'll make sure to bring Ushio next time. I'm here by myself this time just in case…I…"

"In case you weren't welcome?"

I nodded silently, feeling ashamed for thinking they wouldn't like me.

"Tomoya-san; It's really good to see you again," she said, and I could hear the warmth in her tone. "Thank you for coming to see us."

"Y-You're welcome," I replied lamely.

"By the way; what made you decide to visit us?"

I blew air noisily between my lips. "I've been…getting some help dealing with my past, and he mentioned that it'd be good if I had friends for after Ushio moved out." I glanced sheepishly up at her. "I thought of you guys first. Sorry I haven't talked to you for so long."

"Well, thank you for thinking of us," she said in a slightly trembling voice.

"I'll want to get Yuusuke's number before I leave," I said. "Unless you have a different number you'd want me to have."

"We'll make sure you have a number before you leave," she said with a warm smile. "And we'll make sure to get yours as well. Does your daughter have a phone? I'm sure Fuuko would love to have her number."

"Sorry, no. Not in…well, not in the budget right now." I was starting to get tired of that particular phrase.

She looked uncomfortable for a moment, then: "Are you…still grieving your wife?"

I tried not to show my surprise at her question, but probably failed. "Not as much as I used to."

"Not that I'm in any position to talk, but sixteen years is a long time," she noted.

"I know," I admitted. "I…grieved a while back, but it still hurts. Pastor Ashton told me that the pain never really goes away. It makes sense, really; to be that close to someone and then to have that someone ripped away? It's like taking part of you with them."

"I can't even imagine," she said sympathetically. "Forgive me if I'm being nosy."

"You're not," I told her. "I've got my shoulder back, and the pastor's supposed to help me get my life back."

"I hope you succeed," she said warmly. "If you don't mind me asking; who is this 'Pastor Ashton'? That's an unusual name."

I leaned back in the plush, comfy couch. "He's like a priest, only he's a Christian."

"I've heard of that religion," she said with a nod.

"A pastor is like a priest, but different," I explained with a lopsided smile. "I don't know all the differences, but I know that there are some. Oh, and his last name is 'Ashton'; he's from America."

"That explains the name," she noted. "So he's supposed to help you with your problems?"

"Yeah. He's a counselor; apparently he's the only one in Japan."

"Has he helped you yet?"

"A little," I said, scratching my chin. "I've only had a couple of sessions. I figure we've got to fix twenty years of bad thinking, so it'll take a while."

She seemed uncertain, and I figured it was because of Japan's overall attitude toward mental care, like Pastor Ashton mentioned. "Well…I hope you're able to get the help you need."

"Thanks."

"Will you have to become a Christian for him to help you?"

"Not from what I've been able to tell," I replied. "He's a chaplain for the hospital in Hikaritani, so he helps all kinds of people. I doubt they all have to convert for him to help them."

"That's good."

I felt a slight twinge of panic and checked my watch; Mika would be arriving at my place in about an hour. Ushio would be there to greet her, but still… "I'm sorry Kouko-san, but I need to get going. I'm expecting a guest in about an hour."

"That's perfectly fine," she replied as we got to our feet. "Let me get the other two so we can see you off."

"Sounds good."

"And exchange phone numbers," she added with a knowing smile.

"Sounds good," I repeated with a smile of my own.

She nodded as she left to find the others, leaving me to look around the living room. The Yoshinos really had a nice home; they didn't have the kind of stuff that made them look pretentious or snobbish or anything, but what they had was clearly higher-quality than anything I'd ever be able to afford. Nice furniture, nice paintings on the walls, miniature statues of figures holding musical instruments…I found myself feeling a little envious, wishing that I had a skill worth that level of money. I knew that money alone wasn't an indicator of worth, but I would've liked to have been able to afford nicer things for Ushio at least.

I blinked out of my thoughts as the door opened again, and the Yoshinos plus Fuuko entered the room. "I understand you lost my number," Yuusuke said.

"Yeah, sorry," I said with what I hoped was an appropriately apologetic expression as I got out my cell phone. "When I made the switch from my old phone to my new one, I forgot to transfer my contact list."

"Hmph," he grunted before reciting his number for me. "That's my cell. Don't give it to anyone, please."

"No problem," I said. "Your info is your info, after all."

"Thanks."

"I'd like to give you mine as well, if that's all right," Kouko said as I started to put my phone away, so I quickly changed direction and entered her number as she gave it to me.

"Do you have a land line number I should have?" I asked.

"Sure," Yuusuke said before reciting that number. "Now you have no excuse for not calling us."

I chuckled half-absently as I finished entering the contact information for their land line number. "Yeah, sorry about that; I'll be more careful next time."

I gave them my cell number as they led me to the front door, and we paused so they could save it in their phones. In light of her earlier antics, Fuuko was remarkably quiet. "Don't be a stranger, Okazaki," Yuusuke said as I stepped out of the door to their home. "And thanks for the encouragement."

"Glad if I helped," I said with a smile.

"Fuuko's leaving, too."

Kouko and her husband both blinked in surprise. "Already?" she said. "But you got here less than an hour ago."

"Fuuko…will come back later," the short gir-er, woman said as she joined me on the front porch. "Fuuko has some things to do."

"All right," Kouko said with another surprised blink. "Well, we'll see you later then."

Fuuko simply nodded with what looked like a fierce expression before she turned and headed away from the house.

"That was unusual," Kouko said as we watched her sister round the edge of the shrubbery surrounding their home. "Usually she stays longer and helps Yuusuke or me or plays games."

"She is a very important person," Yuusuke quipped, earning him an arm-whap from his wife. "In any case, have a good day, Okazaki."

"Thanks," I replied with a chuckle. "You, too."

I headed away from the Yoshinos' household, rounding the shrubbery the same as Fuuko had done a couple minutes before me. As I walked I started to plan the rest of my evening; Mika would be stopping by to make dinner with Ushio, then maybe Ushio and I could-

"Okazaki-san!" I jumped, startled out of my thoughts at the intrusion of a sudden yet familiar voice, and I turned to see Fuuko running toward me from a side street. "Okazaki-san's so rude! Okazaki-san kept Fuuko waiting a long time!"

"What do you mean?" I said. "I only left about two minutes after you did!"

She skidded to a stop before me, and I realized that she had hardly grown at all since her time with me and my daughter. "Fuuko's seen Shio-chan twice since Fuuko had to go be a grown-up, and Okazaki-san never called! How rude!"

"Sorry, sorry," I said, finally getting on track. "I lost your brother-in-law's phone number and got caught up in raising Ushio. I really didn't mean to forget about you."

Her face fell, and she looked at the ground. "So Okazaki-san really did forget about Fuuko again…"

"'Again'? What do you mean, 'again'?"

"The first time wasn't Okazaki-san's fault," she murmured, causing me to think that she was talking to herself. Then she shook herself and looked me in the face. "It hurts that Okazaki-san forgot Fuuko."

"I really am sorry," I said as sincerely as I could. "I didn't mean to forget you; it's just that between losing Yuusuke's number and being so busy raising Ushio…" I threw up my hands, only to let them fall to my sides.

She sighed once, then held out a hand. "Please give Fuuko Okazaki-san's phone."

"Why?" I asked suspiciously.

"Huh?" She looked genuinely puzzled and hurt. "Fuuko just wants to give Okazaki-san Fuuko's number."

"Then tell it to me," I said as I pulled out my phone. "I can enter it."

"N-NO!" she cried, vigorously shaking her head with her arms wrapped around herself. "It's too embarrassing!"

"Seriously? Are you still in…?" I trailed off as I remembered my conversation with Kouko, then held out my phone. "All right, here."

She quickly snatched my phone away and, after briefly studying it, tapped at the screen. About a minute later, she handed it back. "Fuuko will get Okazaki-san's number when Okazaki-san c-calls Fuuko," she explained.

"Oooookay," I said. "That'll work….I guess."

She looked up at me as though studying me, then jerked her head once in a nod before turning and running back in the direction of her sister's house. I watched her run off until she disappeared around a corner, then shook my head with a snort as I turned and headed home.

* * *

"I'm home," I announced as I entered the apartment. I had cut it pretty close, as Mika was supposed to be arriving in about ten minutes according to the time on my watch.

"Welcome home, Daddy!" Ushio greeted as I closed the door behind me.

"Is Mika-san here yet?"

"Mika-senpai?" she said with a puzzled expression. "She's not going to be here today, remember? She has her responsibilities at the Founder's Festival."

My hand found my forehead. "Oh, that's right, I forgot. So it's just you and me tonight, huh? Well, I'll try not to burn dinner."

"S-Sure," she giggled.

I headed out to the kitchen and started rummaging through the shelves and the refrigerator; it had been so long since I'd made dinner that I didn't even know what I had anymore. "Well, here's some cubed beef. We could-"

KNOCK KNOCK

Ushio and I looked at each other in surprise. "Were you expecting someone?" I asked.

"Uh-uh," she replied.

"Me neither," I said as I put the beef back in the fridge and headed to the front door. "I wonder who that could be…"

To my surprise, I opened the door to find Mika on our front porch, dressed in her school uniform and holding a grocery bag. Her hair was up in its usual twintails. "Good evening, Okazaki-sama!" she greeted with a polite bow.

"Mika-senpai," Ushio said, joining me at the door, "what are you doing here? Don't you have Council responsibilities?"

"I got someone to cover for me so I could do this!" she chirped as Ushio and I stepped aside to let her into our home. "I made a quick stop by the store so we could make something special."

Ushio and I looked at each other briefly, and I shrugged before gesturing toward our kitchen. "If she's got it covered, I guess…"

She giggled before joining her upperclassman in the kitchen. "Let me help you, senpai."

As the girls chatted away in the kitchen, I quietly headed down the hallway to my room; I needed to make a call, but didn't want the girls to hear it. As I entered my room I pulled out my cell phone and had it call Kappei's number.

As expected, there was a lot of background noise when he picked up: _"Hey, Okazaki! This is Kappei!"_

"Hey, Kappei," I greeted, trying to keep my voice as low as possible while still being heard. "Did you know that your daughter's skipped out on the Founder's Festival?"

" _What do you mean?"_

I gestured back to the kitchen before realizing that he wouldn't see the motion. "Well, Mika-san's here, making dinner with my daughter."

" _No, I didn't give her permission. Maybe Ryou did; I'll ask her later."_

"Well, I just thought you should know. She told me that she got someone to cover for her, but I'd hate for her to get in trouble just for making dinner for us."

" _As long as that's all she does before heading back, I guess I'm fine with it. She made arrangements for coverage, after all."_

I didn't quite understand his reasoning, but… "Okay. As long as you know."

" _I do now! I'll probably talk to her about it later, but thanks for letting me know."_

I was surprised at how casual he was being about it, but it may have been due to our differing parenting styles. "All right. Well, sorry for bothering you."

" _Not at all! Just text me when she leaves, would you?"_

"'I'll do that."

" _Enjoy your dinner, Okazaki!"_ he exclaimed, and I could hear the smile in his voice. _"Have a great evening!"_

"You too," I replied. "Have fun."

" _Yeah!"_

I ended the call and pocketed my phone as I headed back toward the kitchen, where Ushio and Mika were still chatting away. I could smell a delicious smell coming from the kitchen, causing my stomach to rumble and my mouth to water. "How's everything going?" I asked, sticking my head around the corner to peek into the kitchen.

"Fine!" Ushio replied as Mika worked on chopping something. "Dinner should be ready in a few minutes! Oh, would you take our plates out?" she asked while holding out two sets of bowls and plates.

"Sure," I replied as I reached out to accept the task. I then headed into the living room and placed the bowls and plates at our spots at the kotatsu before settling into my spot to wait.

Ushio and Mika came out a couple of minutes later with covered bowls and set them on the kotatsu.

"Well," Mika started as she removed her apron, "there you go! I hope you enjoy it, and I'll see you tomorrow."

"All right Mika-san; thank you," I said as I got up to see her to the door. "Have a safe trip back to the school. Wait, did you want to take any with you?"

"I'm fine," she said, shaking her head with a smile as she put on her light coat. "I'll get something when I get back to the school. Thank you for thinking of me, though."

"Have a safe trip, Mika-senpai," my daughter said. "I had a lot of fun cooking with you."

Mika was about to pass through the doorway, but quickly stopped herself. "Oh! I almost forgot!" She turned to face us once again. "I plan on us having dinner together at the festival tomorrow. Will that be okay?"

Ushio and I looked at each other long enough to exchange a smile. "Sounds good," I answered on our behalf. "We look forward to it."

"Great!" she exclaimed with a giggle. "Well, see you tomorrow evening, then!"

We watched her until she rounded the nearby corner and then I closed the door, locking it behind me. "She seemed happier than her usual," I noted with a smile as we took our seats at the kotatsu, and I quickly composed and sent the text to Kappei. "I mean, she's normally pretty bubbly, but…"

"I think I know what you mean," Ushio giggled. "The whole time we were working in the kitchen, I could swear she was floating."

I chuckled at the idea as we put our hands together.

" _Itadakimasu."_

"So, what's on the menu tonight?" I asked, getting somewhat excited; whatever they had been making smelled really good, and I had been looking forward to eating it.

Ushio grinned as she reached out to uncover the largest pot. "Ta-Daaaaaa! It's pork cutlet!"

"I guess that makes sense," I said with an eager grin. "With her aunt Kyou as her teacher, she should become an expert…in…" I trailed off, my grin fading as a memory resurfaced rather abruptly.

"Are you okay, Daddy?" I heard my daughter ask in a worried voice.

"I-I'm fine," I lied and feeling bad about lying as I remembered what Kyou had said while she'd been staying with us:

"… _you make this for the boy you like and he'll fall in love with you, guaranteed…"_

Did this mean what I thought it meant?


	24. Founder's Festival

**Chapter Twenty-Four: Founder's Festival**

Ushio was more than a little excited the next morning.

"Could I go to the festival early?" she asked as we ate breakfast.

My chewing slowed as I thought about her request. "I don't see why not," I replied after finishing my bite. "Why? Are you supposed to help your class? I thought you were excused due to our situation."

"I was," she said as she drew her shoulders together, making herself look even smaller than usual. "It's just that it's the last day, and it's my first Founder's Festival, and I realized that I'm missing out."

She had a point; I'd been so caught up in our situation that I hadn't even thought of how important this could be to her. "Well, I'm fine with it; we'd be heading there later anyway, so… What time did you want to go?"

Her forehead wrinkled cutely as she thought. "Maybe after lunch? That way, we don't have to worry about spending money we don't have to."

"Ushio, it's fine," I said. "I can give you some spending money to get a treat or two; the Founder's Festival only comes once a year, after all."

"Okay!" she chirped, her demeanor abruptly changing. "Thank you, Daddy!"

"You're welcome," I said, feeling my face warm with the love I had for my daughter. "I'll give you some money after breakfast before I have a chance to forget."

"Okay!"

"Hey, do you know what your class is doing for the festival?" I asked.

She shook her head with an amused grin. "A haunted house; can you believe it? How unoriginal!"

"Hey, you can only do much with school resources," I pointed out. "When I was there, we'd have like three or four haunted houses. I swear there was some kind of competition between them to see which class could scare the most people."

She giggled behind her hand. "So, what kind of things did your classes do, Daddy?"

I sighed, my previously lighthearted mood dropping. "I…can't remember. I basically skipped out on school, so…"

"Oh…" she said, visibly deflating. "I'm sorry; I forgot."

"That's all right," I said, feeling a tightness in my chest at the thought of memories never made. "I missed out on a lot, but I'm glad you don't have to." To distract myself from my falling mood, I rocked to one side to retrieve my wallet from my back pocket. "Would two-thousand yen be enough?"

"That much?" she gasped. "Daddy, you don't have to spend that much on me, and just for a school thing!"

I smiled warmly as I pulled out the stated amount. "Like I said; this only happens once a year, and we're not going to break the bank if you blow a couple-thousand yen."

She still seemed uncertain, though. "I-If you say so…"

"I do," I said, holding the money out toward her. "Go ahead, take it."

She reached out with a hesitant hand and slowly pulled the bills from my grip, as though she was giving me the chance to change my mind. Once the bills left my hand she withdrew hers and placed the bills next to her bowl. "Thank you, Daddy; I'll spend it wisely."

"I know you will, sweetheart. Try the stalls, try the games…just have a good time, okay? And I'll see you in the late afternoon."

"Okay," she replied, her voice barely above a whisper.

Since it was a Sunday, we spent the morning tidying up the apartment in preparation for the new week and, before we knew it, lunchtime had arrived.

"So I'll head out after lunch, play for a while, and then meet you by the front gate at around four-fifteen?" she asked as we ate.

"That's the plan," I confirmed. "I'll plan on leaving here around three-fifty, four-o-clock at the latest. I want to give myself enough time to get there; I'm not as young as I used to be, you know," I finished in my best 'old man' voice.

"You're not old," she giggled. "Kumiko still asks about you, by the way."

"Y-Yeah…" I managed. "So…you two are still on good terms, then?"

"Yup!" she chirped; then her expression grew more solemn. "I…apologized to her for how I acted…you know, before."

"It might take us a while to iron out all the problems we…might have caused," I said carefully.

"Yeah…"

I clapped my hands on my knees. "But for now, let's focus on the festival!"

"Okay," she said. "Thanks, Daddy."

* * *

"See you later!" Ushio chirped, finger-waving as she headed out the door.

"Yeah, see you," I replied, returning her wave. I then turned to head down the hallway to my room, intent on some serious napping; I had an exciting and potentially stressful evening ahead of me, and I wanted to be as refreshed as I could be in preparation.

As much as I liked having Ushio around, I was glad for the quiet as I stepped into my room and slid the door shut behind me. I made my way over to my futon and settled down for an hour-long nap. To help myself relax, I went over the plan for the rest of the day: After a one-hour nap I would get up and take a shower, sans bath this time, and give myself plenty of time to get dressed and whatever else I might think of before leaving at three-fifty for the festival; I didn't want to rush myself at the end and raise my stress level, undoing all the benefits of sleeping and showering.

Content with my plan, I pulled the blanket to my chin, and easily drifted off to sleep.

* * *

I was slipping off my indoor shoes when I was surprised by a knock at the door. My gaze snapped up from my feet to the door, and I blinked a couple of times as I waited for another knock, just to be sure I hadn't been hearing things. Sure enough, there was another knock. "Just a minute, please…"

I was surprised again by the identity of my visitor. "Good afternoon, Okazaki-sama!"

"M-Mika-san!" I stammered. "What are you doing all the way out here? Aren't you supposed to be doing some kind of patrol at school?"

"I got someone to cover for me so I could come and…and walk you to the festival!"

I blinked several times as I tried to process the situation. "Well that's very kind of you, but Ushio's already at the festival, so you're stuck with just me. Sorry."

"Really?" she squealed, and I could swear her eyes lit up. "I-I mean, that's okay… I'm not disappointed or anything."

I groaned inwardly; while I believed that she didn't know Ushio would be gone, her behavior was unsurprising. Predictable, almost. "Well, that's good. In any case, you're just in time; I'm just getting my shoes on to leave."

"Great!" she chirped. "Well, whenever you're ready!"

I chuckled softly as I slipped into my outdoor shoes; she was energetic, that was for certain. She had to have gotten that from her father, of course; her mother was simply too reserved, though she had become more outgoing in recent years, presumably since marrying Kappei. "All right, I'm ready to go," I announced as I straightened, then quickly patted my back pocket. "Oops; okay, I've got it."

"Got what?" she asked as I joined her on the front porch.

"My wallet," I replied as I patted my back pocket again. "I really should get a light coat with an inside pocket, though; it's uncomfortable when I sit down."

"I'll bet," she giggled as I locked the front door. I then turned, only to find her moving toward my side before quickly stopping herself. "S-Sorry."

"You okay?" I asked as we started in the direction of the school. "You were all bubbly when you got here, but now you seem upset. Did I hurt your feelings somehow?"

"I-I'm fine," she replied quickly. "I-I guess I was surprised that Ushio wasn't here."

"She went to the festival after lunch," I clarified. "I'm surprised you two didn't run into each other."

"There are a lot of people at the festival today," she replied. "It's really busy. Honestly, I was surprised that Hiroki was willing to cover for me."

"Is she a friend of yours?"

"Hiroki is a guy," she said. "That's why I was surprised he was willing to cover for me."

I decided to test the waters a bit. "Maybe he likes you," I suggested, glancing at her out of the corner of my eye to see her reaction. "Maybe that's why he covered for you."

"You really think so?" she asked, sounding concerned.

"It's possible," I said. "A lot of boys will go out of their way to do something for a girl they like."

"I hope not…" she said with a distressed look. "I mean, I hope that's not why he's doing it."

"What's wrong? Is he ugly or something?"

"No no," she said almost absently. "It's just that…"

I'd seen the look on girls' faces enough times that I could pretend to have a pretty good idea what she was thinking. "You have someone you already like, don't you?"

"Y-Yeah…"

"Well…" I said, stretching my arms over my head in an effort to work out my sudden discomfort, "…unless he actually says something to you about it, you really don't have to worry about it."

"You really think so?" she repeated, sounding uncertain this time.

"Hey, if he's interested it's his job to let you know; it's not your job to second-guess him and act on what amounts to assumptions."

"Yeah… You're right. And I have to be the one to take the initiative with the guy I like."

I thought hard before asking my next question. "Do…you have any plans to talk to…this guy?"

"Y-Yeah…" she replied. "I'll be…confessing to him…really soon."

"That's good," I said, ignoring the knot in my stomach; after all, if my information was correct I was effectively encouraging her to confess to me. "Let him know, get his response, and then you can have closure, one way or the other."

"Did…Did you like your dinner last night?"

"Dinner?" I blinked at the sudden change in topic. "Oh. Yeah, it was really good, thanks. I could tell that Kyou had taught you well, and that you were a good student."

"Thank you. It…makes me happy to know you liked it."

"I did, thank you."

She was quiet after that, so I stayed quiet as well for the rest of the walk. As we approached the gate, though, I waved at Ushio, who was waiting as we had planned. "Hey, Daddy! Hey Mika-senpai!" she greeted.

"Hey, sweetheart," I returned. "Hope I'm not late."

"No, you're actually a little earlier than we planned," she replied as she pointed to the clock on the front of the school. Then, she looked to my right. "Mika-senpai, I didn't know you'd left the school; I looked for you for half an hour before I came to the gate."

"I-I'm sorry," Mika replied, sounding subdued. "I wanted to walk both of you to the festival, but I didn't know that you were already here."

"That's okay," my daughter replied with a kind smile. "If I had known that you would be coming, I would have waited. At least you got to walk with Daddy, right?"

"Y-Yeah," she said while glancing up at me.

"It's a beautiful day for a walk, too, isn't it?"

"Y-Yeah…"

"And-"

"I-I'm sorry; I have to go relieve Hiroki." With that, Mika abruptly turned and hurried through the gate and toward the school.

We watched her for a moment before Ushio spoke again: "Did I say something wrong?"

"No," I replied. "She's just dealing with some emotional stuff right now." I forced a smile to my face. "But I think things should be okay pretty soon."

"That's good. She seemed…scared or something."

"I got that impression, too," I said, feigning ignorance. "Well…for now, let's enjoy the festival, okay? As far as I know, we'll be having dinner with her at around six, so we've got time."

"Okay!"

We explored the stalls and the classrooms, trying different foods and getting scared by no fewer than four haunted houses.

"The school really should present more options to the students," I remarked as we nibbled on onigiri.

"I don't mind," Ushio said. "I mean, each of us will only be here for three years, so we'd only have to do three haunted houses."

I had to quickly cover my mouth or end up spraying rice with my laughter. "Yeah, you make a good point."

"Hey!" a familiar voice called out. "You're being too loud!" We turned as one to see Kyou, along with Pastor Ashton, heading toward us through the crowd.

"Kyou-sensei!" Ushio squealed, stuffing the last of her onigiri in her mouth so she could hug her beloved teacher. "Mmmph mmph mmph!"

"It's good to see you, too," Kyou laughed as she exchanged a squeeze with her former student.

"Tomoya-san," Pastor Ashton greeted as he extended his hand, then quickly withdrew it to bow slightly. "Sorry; I've been able to change a lot of habits, but handshakes come so naturally…"

"It's fine," I replied with a smile before extending my right hand. "Honestly? It just feels good to be able to do this."

"I can imagine," he said as we shook hands, earning us some puzzled looks from nearby onlookers.

"So what brings you to the festival?" Ushio asked, having finished her food.

"We're here to see the fireworks!" Kyou exclaimed, shooting a fist into the air. "I haven't seen them in years!"

"Hey, that's right," I said, pointing at her. "It has been a while. Well, I really hope you have fun; your niece has told me that it's a pretty impressive show."

"Where is Mika, anyway?" Kyou asked. "We haven't seen her, yet."

"She got here a few minutes ago," Ushio answered. "She went to walk with us to the festival but ended up just walking with Daddy."

Kyou and the pastor looked at each other briefly before she reached out and grabbed me by the arm. "Come with me, Tomoya. I'll be right back, Jeff."

Even though I knew that the two of them were close, my eyebrows still jumped at the usage of his first name but otherwise allowed myself to be dragged away from the group.

"I'll wait here," I could hear him call out just before we got out of earshot.

She led me to a tree away from the festivities before releasing my arm and facing me. "How was she?"

I took a deep breath as I felt my face heat up. "Well, it sounds like I'll find out tonight whether you're right or not."

She sighed as she laid a hand on my shoulder. "Are you all right?"

My chuckle came out more like a cough. "I'm kind of embarrassed to say it, but I'm scared. I haven't dealt with this kind of relationship in over a decade. Besides, what if we've been wrong and I've been going on a wrongheaded assumption? Or maybe worse; what if you're right? Then I have to reject a really sweet girl."

"…who maybe shouldn't have fallen for you in the first place."

"'Maybe'?"

"I dunno," she sighed, running her fingers through her purple lengths, completely free of its former gray. "It's just that… I've been doing a lot of thinking about you and your situation, and… Maybe someone like her would be good for you."

"Are you serious?" I exclaimed before lowering my voice as I looked around. "We're eighteen years apart!' I hissed. "She's two years older than my daughter!"

"I know that, you idiot!" she yelled before lowering her voice as well. "I just…I think she'd be good for you. I know she's young, but she's older in…in…"

"I think I get it," I said. "She's young chronologically, but older in spirit?"

"Something like that, yeah."

I sighed noisily as I roughly scratched my head. "Okay, but…she's your niece, Kyou! Would you really want her with someone your age?"

"Jeff's fifteen years my senior."

I blinked. "He is? Really?" I'd never stopped to think about it, but she was probably right. Of course, she'd know better, but… "Okay then, what about your sister and her husband? Would they want a…son-in-law the same age as them?"

"I don't care about that right now," Kyou said, sticking a finger in my face. "What I care about is seeing you happy and cared for, and for Mika to be happy and cared for, too."

"Kyou…" I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

"Look, I won't hold it against you if you turn her down. I know that there's a huge difference between thirty-six and fifty-one and eighteen and thirty-six; I'd just hate for you to miss out on an opportunity just because you're hung up on numbers. Anyway… You decide what you feel is right. Whatever you decide, I'll support you."

"Thanks, Kyou."

"You're welcome!" she chirped, a smile returning to her face. "Now let's get back before Jeff wonders if we've run off together!"

"Um, yeah…wouldn't want that." I followed her back to where the pastor and Ushio still stood, talking. "Sorry we were gone so long, pastor."

"Not at all!" Pastor Ashton exclaimed as Kyou reclaimed his arm. "Did you work out what you needed to?"

"I think so," I said, giving my old sparring partner a sidelong glance.

"Well, that's great," he said, clapping his hands together before addressing his girl. "Now that you're done with him, could I borrow him for a bit?"

"He's all yours," Kyou said melodramatically. "You may have what's left of him."

"Hey!" I protested, though halfheartedly.

So I found myself in almost the same place, only with the pastor facing me instead of Kyou. "Thank you, Tomoya-san; I'll try to not take much of your time."

"No problem. So, what's going on?"

He rubbed his hands together in a way that told me he was thinking seriously about what he wanted to say. "Listen…I don't know how this is going to sound, but…" He drew himself up to his full height, which was impressive, and looked me in the eye. "I intend to propose marriage to Kyou tonight, but I wanted to make sure you had no objections."

"O-Objections?" I stammered, surprised by the revelation. "Why would I have any objections?"

"From what I understand, the two of you have a long friendship, which I have no desire to come between. Also…" He sighed, clearly uncomfortable with what he was about to say. "Kyou has confessed to me that she used to harbor romantic feelings toward you, and in fact tried to act on them at one point."

I felt the blood drain from my face at the memory. "That's…true, but we've agreed to stay as friends, nothing more. If you want to propose to her, I'm fine with it."

"I appreciate that."

Hoping to be done with that part of the conversation, I tried to redirect it to something less…uncomfortable. "So, when are you planning to propose?"

"Tonight."

"Tonight? Seriously?" The day was sure filling up with surprises.

He nodded solemnly. "During the fireworks display." He opened his mouth again, only to stop himself to reach into his coat and pull out a small box. "Here, take a look."

I opened the box and let out a low whistle. "That's a nice rock."

"Thank you. I'm hoping it'll reflect the light from the last firework for a nice post-fireworks show."

"If you can pull it off, I think she'll really be impressed," I said, handing the box back. "Good luck."

"Thank you…again. Well, I'd better get you back; there may be someone else who wants to talk to you," he said with a wink.

"Yeah," I chuckled. "Hey, before we go back…"

"Yes?" he said, stopping mid-turn.

I tapped at the grass a couple of times with my foot. "I think…well, at least if Kyou's right… I think Mika-san'll be, um…confessing to me tonight."

"Indeed?" He turned toward me fully and crossed his arms. "Are you sure about this?"

"No," I admitted, "but I've seen a few signs that lead me to believe she will. For one, she made pork cutlets for Ushio and I last night."

"Oh my…" he breathed, his arms dropping to his sides. "That's how Kyou finally won me over. The final nail in my coffin, if you'll pardon the metaphor."

"Yeah… She taught Mika-san how to make them."

"Have you decided whether you want to remarry or not?"

"I'm still…struggling with that. I think I've grieved Nagisa a little, but I'm satisfied with the way life is right now."

"With Mika as part of it?"

Crap. "I hadn't thought of that, but you're right." I sighed. "And Kyou just told me that she'd be okay with me being with her niece."

"How far apart in age are you again?"

"About eighteen years."

His eyebrows jumped as he sighed. "Well, Kyou and I are fifteen years apart, and that's not too much more."

I wiggled my fingers in my ears as though to clean them. "Am I hearing you right? Anyway, are you sure your god doesn't have any kind of age limit?"

"As sure as I can be," he replied easily. "My understanding is that both people need to be of the age of majority – which Mika passed two years ago – and be able to show some level of compatibility. Mika's kind of a unique case since she's unusually mature for her age; she still has a lot to learn, of course, but she already seems to have the tools needed for the learning process." He paused for a moment. "I actually feel a little sorry for her; I can tell that she's a little frustrated at having to be around kids who aren't up to her level of maturity. Tadashi has the same problem."

"Well…I feel bad for her, but…" I waved a hand helplessly.

"Look, Tomoya-san; I can't make this decision for you. If I know Kyou half as well as I think I do, she's told you that she'll support you in whatever decision you make, and I will as well."

"Thanks," I mumbled. "Let's head back. And for what it's worth, I think she'll accept your proposal."

"I appreciate the vote of confidence," he said with a smile as he gently clapped me on the shoulder. "Do you mind if I pray for you? About your situation with Mika, that is?"

At that point I'd take any support I could get. "Yeah. Please."

I felt his grip on my shoulder tighten ever so slightly as he closed his eyes, and I closed my eyes as well. "Lord Jesus, I lift up Okazaki Tomoya-san to you. While neither of us knows what will happen, you do, and I ask you to give him the wisdom and grace needed to deal with this potentially emotionally volatile situation. Show him how you would have him be in this situation, and help him to remember that you love him as well as Mika. Bless them both during this time. Let your will be done." I felt his hand leave my shoulder, so I opened my eyes to find him smiling down at me with compassion. "God be with you, Tomoya-san."

"Thanks," I said, my voice thick with emotion; that guy sure knew how to put his heart into his prayers.

* * *

"Well, here it is!" Mika exclaimed as she indicated the blanket covered with containers of food and place-settings for the three of us.

Ushio and I looked at each other with a smile before settling onto the blanket, and the three of us put our hands together. _"Itadakimasu."_

I reached out for fill my plate, but paused as I remembered Pastor's Ashton's prayer from earlier as well as Kyou's from the graduation party, and wondered if I should have said more than just 'thanks for the food'. Who was I thanking anyway? I shook my head to clear it, only to find that my plate had disappeared from my hand. "What the-?"

I quickly found the thief but wasn't surprised to discover that it was Mika, who was filling my plate with food. "I'm sorry, Okazaki-sama," she said as Ushio giggled. "I saw that you were lost in thought, but I didn't want to interrupt you so I just took your plate to help you out."

"Oh. Thanks."

"You're welcome!" she chirped as she handed back my plate. "Here you go! Eat up!"

I accepted the plate with a bit of apprehension and examined its contents: an assortment of steamed vegetables, rice…and pork cutlets. My stomach rumbled and soured at the same time.

"What's the matter, Daddy?" I heard Ushio ask. Crap; my feelings must have really been showing on my face.

"Nothing," I lied. "I'm fine." I could feel Mika's gaze on me as I took my first bite of the pork; damn. "This is really good," I said, telling the truth this time; Mika was a great cook, not as though I didn't know that already.

"I-I'm glad you like it," she replied, twirling a lock of hair between her fingers. Even in the dimming light I could see the redness on her cheeks.

"This is amazing, Mika-senpai!" Ushio gushed. "Kyou-sensei taught me how to make this, but I really like what you've done."

"It…It's my own recipe," Mika said bashfully. "Aunt Kyou taught me how to make this, but I made some changes based on what I know about your dad."

"That makes sense," Ushio said with a thoughtful expression. "You've cooked for him for a long time so you'd have an idea of what he'd like." She then stuck out her lower lip. "I wish I'd thought of that; then Daddy could have really enjoyed what I made."

"I've enjoyed your meals, sweetie," I said reassuringly. "You just haven't had a lot of experience with pork, that's all."

"If you say so," she huffed.

We ate quietly for a while, occasionally complimenting Mika on her culinary skills, to which she would blush and mumble some form of gratitude. As I finished the last of my tea, the thought tickled the back of my mind about how nice it would be to come home to meals like thi- I quickly shook my head, trying to fling the offending thought as far away as possible.

"Daddy?" I heard Ushio ask in a worried tone. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I guess I'm a little tired," I admitted. It was true, after all; with the conversations with Kyou and the pastor, I was feeling emotionally drained. "I think I'll sleep pretty well tonight."

"That's…good?" she giggled.

I chuckled with her before a tickling thought had me looking around. "Hey, where're Kyou and Pastor Ashton? I didn't think of it until just now, but I'm surprised they didn't join us."

"They went to a restaurant near the school," Mika explained, drawing my attention. "Aunt Kyou told me they'd be eating out, but that they'd come back after their meal."

"Ah."

"They plan on being back before the fireworks start, though," she added.

"Got it," I said, though I already knew they would have to be back or the pastor wouldn't be able to do what he'd planned to do.

We finished eating and packed up the bowls and other containers used for the meal. "Don't worry; I'll clean these when I get home," Mika told us as she put the last of the containers in one of her bags.

"Mika-senpai? You have to stay late, don't you? What if Daddy and I took them and washed them at our place? Then you could stop by on your way home to get them, or I could bring them to school tomorrow."

"I like the latter idea," I interjected. "After her so-called weekend, she's really going to need her sleep."

"You…You really don't have to bother yourselves," Mika politely protested.

"And you didn't have to go to all this trouble to make dinner for us," I pointed out as politely as I could. "The least we could do to thank you is clean up your stuff."

She appeared to fight the idea internally but eventually gave in. "Okay. Thank you; it would be a big help."

"Where should we keep it in the meantime?" Ushio asked, looking between the two of us.

"I'll keep it in my classroom and give it to you when you're ready to leave," Mika offered.

"Sounds good," I said. "Thanks for letting us help out."

"Y-You're welcome," she replied as she gathered up the bags. "I-If you'll excuse me…" Before either of us could respond, she turned and hurried into the school, entering through one the main doors.

We watched her depart, then Ushio turned toward me. "Something seems wrong with Mika-senpai," she remarked.

"Yeah," I grunted. "Well, like I said earlier, she's dealing with some emotional stuff right now."

"I hope she feels better soon," she said, and I could hear the compassion in her tone.

"Me, too," I said, laying a hand on my daughter's shoulder. "Yeah…me, too."

We watched the door though which Mika had departed for a moment longer before Ushio spoke. "I…I guess I'll go check out the stalls again… If that's okay?"

"Go ahead," I told her. "I'll stay here and save our spot."

"You don't want to come along?" she asked with the cutest pout.

"I'm kinda tired from all the excitement from looking at them earlier," I admitted. What I wouldn't admit, however, is that I wanted the time to prepare myself for Mika's confession, assuming it happened of course. "Go ahead and have fun; you know where to find me."

"Okay!" she chirped before tugging my arm to pull me down for a kiss on the cheek. "See you later!" With that she quickly disappeared into the crowd.

"Have fun, sweetie," I said, waving lamely at her departing form and knowing full well she wouldn't be able to hear me. I then sighed and sat down to lean against a tree next to where we'd had dinner. "Ugh…" I grunted while lightly bonking the back of my head against the wood several times. "Could we just get this over with?"

In spite of my anxiety I must have fallen asleep, because my eyes opened to Kyou peering into my face as she gently shook me. "Tomoya? Hey Tomoya, wake up. You fall asleep here and someone's gonna take your wallet."

I knew better, but I still leaned over to pat my back pocket as I rubbed my eyes. "I didn't mean to fall asleep. Thanks." As Kyou straightened I could see that Pastor Ashton, Ushio and Mika were with her. "Did I miss the fireworks?"

"No," the pastor replied as reached down to help me up. "Are you that deep a sleeper that you'd sleep through fireworks?"

"I dunno," I said as I accepted the proffered hand and got to my feet. "I've never tried."

"If…If you need to go home to sleep, I'm sure everyone would understand," Mika offered, surprising me; she definitely looked anxious.

I chuckled lightly as I dusted off the back of my pants. "No, I'll stick around; wouldn't want to miss the fireworks, after all."

"O-Of course not," she stammered, and I could see Kyou glancing back and forth between the two of us with a worried expression.

"Besides, I'm not really that tired; I guess I was just comfortable," I said, hoping my explanation would make sense.

"You've always been able to get comfy in the weirdest places," Kyou said with a grin. "I remember in high school that-"

"So, how long until the fireworks start?" I interrupted, hoping to redirect everyone's attention from my former sleeping habits.

Pastor Ashton checked his watch as Kyou smirked at me. "Should be in about half an hour."

"Well, what shall we do until then?" Ushio asked.

In the end, the girls headed back into the busyness of the festival while Pastor Ashton and I talked at the base of the tree.

"You look a little nervous," he remarked. At my alarmed look he quickly raised a hand. "Don't worry, I'm trained to notice these things; most people wouldn't pick up on the subtle cues."

"Good," I said, breathing a sigh of relief. "I guess you just surprised me since no one else has said anything about it."

"Everything will be fine, Tomoya-san," he said, patting me on the shoulder. "Just trust in the Lord and…oops, sorry about that; lost myself for a moment there and went into 'pastor mode'."

"It's fine," I replied. "But now I'm curious; what were you about to say?"

"You sure you want to hear it?" he asked, scratching his cheek with an index finger. "I don't know how it'll sound to a non-believer."

"I want to hear it," I confirmed. "If nothing else, I could use the distraction."

"An honest answer," he laughed. "I can appreciate that. Well, I was about to say 'Just trust in the Lord and let him guide your steps and everything will turn out all right. It may not be an easy road, but trust that he'll be with you and he'll give you guidance when you need it, wisdom when you need it, and comfort…when you need it.'"

I blinked at him several times in mute surprise. "It…must be pretty neat to be a Christian," I said when I found my voice again.

"It has its ups and downs," he said offhandedly. "Christianity is effectively banned in America anymore, which is part of the reason I'm grateful to be able to live here now. The Japanese are a very spiritual people, which makes it both easier and harder to reach them with the Gospel."

"What do you mean 'banned in America'?"

"It's become less and less friendly to Christianity," he explained. "From what I can tell, it started in the late 1960s, but really accelerated in the last few years, with the demands for acceptance of homosexuality and transsexuality and the like."

"It's not illegal to be a Christian there, is it?" I asked.

"No, Tomoya-san, it's…" He paused for a minute, apparently to gather his thoughts. "It's been more of a socio-political thing; politicians want to appear compassionate, so they support whatever they think will garner them the most votes. Because of the dynamic of the political and cultural, those in Hollywood started to make movies that glorified these kinds of things – though they've been doing that kind of thing for decades already – and, eventually, Christianity was considered a hateful religion due to its insistence on holding to godly principles."

"I'd have a hard time believing that you're a hateful person," I told him.

He burst into laughter. "Thank you, Tomoya-san; that means more to me than you'll ever know. Unfortunately, while Christianity itself is not hateful, some of its followers haven't been the most gracious toward unbelievers. I used to be pretty judgmental myself, until I really got serious about following Jesus. Anyway, Christianity isn't exactly banned but it's sure been told that it's not welcome."

"Sorry to hear that; I hope things get better over there."

"Thank you." He sighed, and I could hear the heaviness and emotion behind it. "I'll just keep praying for her. Maybe someday a missionary from here will head over there and do what we pastors haven't been able to do for generations." He shook his head as though to clear it. "Sorry, I didn't mean to bring the mood down."

"You didn't," I said with a shake of my head. "I needed a distraction, and you gave me one. Thanks…I think."

"How's the home life?" he asked, clearly wanting to change the subject.

I allowed myself a minute to think about my answer. "I think it's getting better; my shoulder's getting stronger and my daughter's acting like a normal sixteen-year-old girl." I bobbed my head a few times in a nod. "Yeah, I'd say things are getting better."

"I'm glad to hear that… Ah, it looks like the ladies are returning." I looked and, sure enough, Kyou, Mika, and Ushio were headed our way, hands full of treats.

"Here you go, Daddy; I bought this for you," Ushio said as she handed me an ice cream cone. "I bought it just before we headed back, so it shouldn't have melted….much."

"Thanks sweetie," I said as I detected and caught some of the ice cream melting down the cone.

"And this is for you," Kyou said as she handed a small bowl of what appeared to be onigiri to her date.

"Hey, thanks!" Pastor Ashton exclaimed as he accepted the bowl. "What flavor did you get?"

"I'm not telling," she replied simply. "I know how you like surprises."

He chuckled awkwardly as he removed the cover from the paper bowl and ate one of the rice balls. "Wow, this is really good! I mean, it's not as good as what you've made, but…"

"It's all right, Jeff," she said while patting his arm. "I know how much you like my cooking."

He gave her a grateful smile before downing another rice ball.

"O-Okazaki-sama…" I looked over to Mika, who was gazing at me with an uncertain expression. "…I…Th-…This is for you," she said, holding out a small box.

"Well, thank you Mika-san," I said, touched by her generosity as I accepted the gift; even though I still had suspicions about her feelings, I had to keep up the façade. "That's very kind of you."

Her face started to redden as she looked at the ground.

I opened the box to find a small assortment of chocolates. "Hey, these look good; do you mind if I have one now?"

She shook her head. "I worked…I mean, I looked really hard to find ones I thought you'd like."

"I appreciate it." I took one of the small confections, a cube-shaped one, light brown with dark-brown squiggly lines on it and bit into it. "Whoa; coconut-filled?"

"You like coconut?" Pastor Ashton asked.

"He does," I heard my daughter answer, lost as I was in bliss. "When I know he's had a bad day, I'll try to stop by this one candy shop and pick up a few for him."

"My day just got a lot better," I think I said before forcing myself out of my trance to look to Mika. "Thanks, Mika-san; this is really good."

"You're welcome," she squeaked.

"If I'm not rude for asking; where did you get them, Mika-senpai?" Ushio asked.

"I…"

"Let's leave her be for now," Pastor Ashton said gently as Mika's face threatened to catch fire. "For whatever reason, she's having a difficult time right now."

"Okay," my daughter said with genuine regret. "I'm sorry, Mika-senpai."

The poor teenager couldn't say anything, but managed a nod.

"Come on, Mika," Kyou said as she took her niece by the shoulders. "Let's go get something to drink."

As the pair headed off I turned to the pastor. "She needs to get it off her chest and soon, for her sake if nothing else."

"Agreed," he grunted as he crossed his arms. "A burden like hers is heavy enough for an adult – an older adult, that is – let alone one who has just entered adulthood."

"But she's eighteen," Ushio said with a look of confusion. "She's legally been an adult for two years."

"Yes, legally," he emphasized. "However, that doesn't mean she understands everything she needs to for life yet."

My daughter pondered his words for a moment, "I think I understand. Does this have to do with her being in love?"

The pastor looked at me in surprise, so I gave him a reassuring smile. "Mika-san probably talked to her about it; they're close, after all," I told him.

"Yes, well…" He gave himself a moment to regain his composure. "She may be eighteen, but she's still new to the kind of love she's likely experiencing right now, which could be pretty frightening to someone her age."

"I see…" she said, giving me what appeared to be suspicious look. "I could imagine that being hard to deal with."

A few minutes later Kyou returned with Mika, who had a drink cup in her hand. "Are you feeling better, Mika?" Pastor Ashton asked.

"Much," she replied, though she still sounded a little shaky. "I just needed a little water, so I'm fine now. Thank you."

"Looks like the fireworks are about to start," Ushio noted as we saw a crowd start to gather at one end of the courtyard.

"I think you're right," the pastor confirmed, easily looking over the heads of the other fairgoers. "Looks like they're setting up the last few rockets. Well, shall we go?" he asked as he offered Kyou his arm.

"Sure!" she chirped as she wrapped her arms around his. "You kids have a good time, and behave now."

"Hey!" I protested as they walked off arm-in-arm. Of course I wasn't too serious, and I smiled as the two of them joined the crowd. "Good luck, pastor," I murmured to myself. "I don't think you'll need it, though."

"Well, shall we get settled in?" Ushio said as she held the blanket we'd used earlier. "The roof's off-limits, but Mika-senpai knows of a spot where we can watch the fireworks without a lot of noise. From the crowd, I mean."

"Sounds good," I said, gesturing to the girls. "Lead the way."

They headed toward the school, but turned left just before the entrance. After a few twists and turns I found myself on a balcony of sorts, overlooking the crowd and with a great view of the field where the fireworks would be set off.

"Aw, we can't use the blanket here," Ushio pouted as she placed the rolled-up blanket in one of the corners of the balcony.

"I…I did tell you that it was an enclosed area…" Apparently Mika had explained it to my daughter a few times already.

"I guess I was so excited that I forgot," Ushio giggled. "Oh, well; at least we can lean on the wall, right?"

"Right," I said as I leaned on the retaining wall and looked over; from where I was I could see the crowd…including the pastor and Kyou. "Cool; front-row seats."

"Isn't it amazing?" my daughter gushed. "We'll even be able to watch the men light them!"

"Y-Yeah…" I said as I watched Kyou lean into her date. Seeing them like that caused me to feel a…longing.

"Oooo! They're lighting the first one!" Ushio was nearly beside herself.

"Ushio," Mika whispered as she joined us at the wall, "please keep it down or people will see us and start coming up here!"

"Oh! Sorry!" my daughter whispered back.

"And there goes the first one," I announced for no particular reason as the first firework flew up into the darkened sky.

"So many colors…" Ushio breathed as firework after firework flew up before our eyes into the night sky and exploded into brilliant, beautiful colors. "Reds, purples, blues…isn't it pretty, Daddy?"

"Impressive," I replied, somewhat sobered; listening to my daughter, I realized that I had lost my appreciation for the simple things…like fireworks.

The crowd apparently hadn't, as it 'oo'ed and 'ah'ed every time a firework erupted into color, and I looked down again to see Kyou and her date snuggled together as they watched the display.

"What do you think, Mika-senpai?" I heard Ushio ask, and I looked over to hear Mika's answer.

"It's…beautiful…" she replied, her glistening eyes fixed on the show. "I just wish…"

"Are you okay?" Ushio asked.

Mika giggled softly as she blotted her eyes with her sleeve. "I'm okay; sorry for worrying you."

Ushio looked up at me with a concerned look, to which I responded with a gentle smile and a nod, so she returned her gaze to the fireworks.

Eventually the last firework was launched, and I quickly looked down in time to see Pastor Ashton turn towards Kyou and hold out the small box he'd showed me earlier. I felt a smile start to spread as her hands flew to her mouth when he opened it. "Ushio, look; I think Pastor Ashton's proposing to your teacher."

"Really?" she squealed as she looked where I was pointing. "Oh my gosh!" I looked over to see tears welling in her eyes. "I'm so happy for her. With all she's been through…"

"Yeah," I agreed, starting to feel a lump forming in my own throat. "I'm happy for her, too."

"Aunt Kyou…" Mika breathed. "Oh, good for you…"

"Let's go congratulate her!" Ushio gushed as she grabbed Mika's hand.

"I'll…I'll be down in a minute," Mika said, hesitantly pulling her hand from my daughter's.

"O-Okay," Ushio said with a puzzled expression that faded to one of understanding as she looked over at me. "I'll let her know you're on your way, then."

"Th-Thanks."

I watched Ushio scamper down the stairs…leaving me alone with the purple-haired teenager. Trying to calm my rapidly-frying nerves, I looked down at the crowd again, trying to find-

GRAB

"AH!" My heart nearly leaped from my chest as I felt myself grabbed from behind, a pair of hands coming to rest on my suddenly-pounding chest. "What the-!"

It was then that I noticed that my attacker was shaking. "O-Okaz-z-z-za-ki-ki-sa-m-ma?"

"Y-Yes, Mika-san?" I said, trying to ignore my still-pounding heart. "Is something wrong?"

"I'm…I'm s-s-scared-d…"

"What are you scared of?"

"M-M-My-s-s-sel-lf."

"Why don't you let go of me, and I'll see if I can hel-"

"NO!"

I jumped at her sudden outburst. "O-Okay, then; we'll do it your way. What's the m-matter?"

"O-Okazaki-sama," she hiccupped. "I…I-I n-need to t-tell you s-something."

Oh boy. "O-Okay, Mika-san; what do you need to tell me?"

The shaking intensified for a moment, and for a brief moment I thought she would shake my brains out my ears. "I…I think…"

I swallowed hard; I hadn't felt anxiety like this in a long time.

"I th-think…I l-love y-you."

I gritted my teeth, my grip on the wall tightening as I fought the warmth that threatened to spread throughout my body; I hadn't felt affection like that in years and had no warning that her words would affect me the way they were. "Thank you for your honesty," I grunted through my teeth.

She said nothing, but I could hear her quietly crying against my back; the poor girl was likely feeling overwhelmed after having carried her feelings as long as she had.

I took a deep breath, trying to regain control of my body as I laid a hand on top of one of hers. "I'm…honored that you think of me like this, but…I'm too old for you."

I still couldn't see her, but I thought I heard her crying fade, though the shaking intensified. "I…I under-derstand. I-I-I'm sorry if I m-made you uncom-comfortable-ble."

"Would you let go of me, please?" I asked softly. She complied, and I turned around to see one of the saddest things I'd ever seen; reddened eyes, a tear-stained face, trembling hands clasped before an equally-trembling body…I felt like dirt. "I'm sorry."

"I-It's o-okay, Okazak-ki-s-sama," she replied. "I-I'm sorry it-it took m-me so long t-to tellyou."

"It was very brave of you to tell me this," I managed, my heart going out to her as much as I felt was safe. Thinking back to simpler days I told her, "I'm sorry I can't return your feelings."

"Th-That's okay," she sputtered. "I'll…w-work hard t-to w-w-win your af-f-fection."

"Huh?"

In spite of her tears, she managed to bark a laugh, presumably at my confusion. "P-Prep-pare yourself, Okazaki-s-sama."

"What?" Had I heard her correctly?

"That's wh-what Aunt Kyou said to Pastor Jeff," she said, appearing to gain confidence as she wiped at her face with her sleeve. "I'll show you that I'll make a great wife; you won't be able to r-resist me forever."

I stared into her expression of defiance with disbelief. "Mika-san; what's gotten into you?"

"Please call me 'Mika'," she said with a trembling flip of one of her twintails, her former distress all but gone. "See you tomorrow evening." With that, she flipped the other twintail before turning and nearly skipping down the stairs.

I suddenly felt numb, my widened eyes staring at nothing as I headed over to pick up the blanket, only to plop down on the cool cement with it in my lap. "What in the hell just happened…?"


	25. Invitations to Problems

**Chapter Twenty-Five: Invitations to Problems**

I groaned as I rolled over to 'snooze' the alarm on my phone. Even though I had slept pretty well, I was so exhausted by last night's events that I still woke up feeling groggy.

I was jarred awake by my alarm again and quickly rolled over again to grab my phone, only to groan again when I saw that I was receiving a call; I really needed to change either my alarm or my default ringtone. I groaned yet again when I saw who was calling. "This is Okazaki; 'morning, Kappei."

" _Yeah…good morning."_ He sounded tired as well. _"Listen; I know it's kinda early, but I was hoping to catch you before work."_

"Well, you caught me," I said with a tired chuckle. "I can talk, but it'll take me a minute or two before I start making sense. What's up?" I had a feeling that I knew what he was calling about, but I didn't want to guess wrong.

I heard a heavy sigh from the other end. _"First, I think I need to apologize; Ryou was right about Mika having a crush on a guy, but we didn't know…"_

"Yeah... I hear you."

" _Did you know?"_

"No, I didn't," I replied as I slapped my cheek a couple of times to speed up the waking-up process. "I had my suspicions and Kyou told me about hers, but I didn't know for sure until last night."

" _I see, got it."_ A beat, then: _"Hold on; did you say that Kyou said something about it?"_

"Yeah, she told me about it a while back. I take it she didn't say anything to you."

" _Nah, but some things are starting to make sense now."_

"What do you mean?"

Another pause. _"Well…to get the easy stuff out of the way; Mika's been floating around the way kids do when they like somebody. She's talked about you a lot, sure, but I figured that was because she'd been helping you out and was excited about…well, being able to help you out."_

"Yeah, I get it."

" _Anyway, something about the way Kyou'd been looking at her told me that she was thinking about something. Looking back, I don't why I didn't ask her about it."_

I imagined Ushio being in a similar situation, and how I'd feel about it. "Maybe you didn't want to know 'cause you'd be uncomfortable with the answer?"

He barked a laugh. _"Yeah, could be. Anyway, I'm really sorry I didn't catch it sooner."_

"Don't worry about it," I said. "Did she tell you about last night?"

" _After she got home, yeah. She told her mom and I about what she said to you and…I tell you, we were both floored. Not just that she confessed to you, but that she told us about it."_

"She seemed pretty bold to me after she…said what she did."

" _Just so we're on the same page: Mika told us that she confessed to you and then said she'd work to earn your….your…"_

"…affection," I finished for him; I could tell he was uncomfortable with the topic as well. "Yeah, after Ushio went down to congratulate Kyou for Pastor Ashton's marriage proposal, your daught-…Mika hugged me from behind and told me that she thought she…" Man, this was awkward. "…loved me."

" _Yeah…"_ he said, noticeably subdued. _"Yeah, I'm really sorry about that."_

"It's not your fault," I said, finally feeling awake. "So, what do you want to do about it?"

He sighed heavily. _"I'm not sure, to be honest. I don't want to punish her for falling in love, but… I don't want her around you if she's going to make you uncomfortable."_

"Thanks; I appreciate that." I gave myself a moment to think; what would the pastor tell me in a situation like this? "Maybe…Maybe you should ask her to come straight home after school for the time being. To give everyone a chance to cool off."

" _That sounds good; I could have her come home after club."_

I blinked. "Club? Don't you mean the student council?"

" _No, I mean club; she rejoined the Volleyball Club about…a week ago? Yeah, that sounds about right."_

"She did, huh? Well, good for her," I said, feeling a smile start to spread. "She told me that she missed it, and I think I tried encouraging her to go back since she loved it so much."

" _Yeah, that sounds like you,"_ he laughed.

"Anyway, I'm sorry but I've got to go," I said as I glanced at the clock. "I gotta be at work in about an hour and a half. I can't take calls while working, but if you text me what you decide to do I'll make sure to check my phone for your message."

" _Got it. Thanks, Okazaki."_

"No problem. Hey, listen…" I gave myself a moment to think of how to phrase what I wanted to say. "I'm really sorry if I've done anything to encourage her...this way."

Another heavy sigh. _"You're a great guy, Okazaki, and I think she…fell for you because of that."_

"Thanks, but I'm still sorry things worked out the way they did," I said with another glance at the clock. "If there's something I can do to help…repulse her, just let me know."

" _Repulse her…"_ he echoed, laughing loudly. _"Sure, if I think of something I'll let you know. Have a good day at work, man!"_

"Thanks, you too."

" _Later!"_

I breathed a sigh of relief as I ended the call and put the phone down. "That went a lot better than I thought it would," I murmured as I headed out of my room.

I ran into my daughter in the hallway. "Oh, there you are!" she chirped as she came out of the bathroom. "I was starting to worry!"

"I got an unexpected call," I told her.

"Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, it's fine," I replied. "I just-"

*knock knock knock*

We exchanged a look of surprise. "I'll get it," I told her. "Go ahead and finish getting ready for school."

"Okay," she said, then turned and skipped down the hall to her room.

I smiled at her antics as I headed to the front door. I opened the door and nearly jumped out of my skin.

"Good morning, Okazaki-sama!" Mika stood on my front porch with her hands behind her back, wearing her school uniform, and I noticed that she had her hair down instead of up in its usual twintails. "It's a beautiful day, isn't it?"

"I…wouldn't know," I said. "I haven't been outside yet."

She giggled before bringing one of her hands from behind her back to pat at her hair. "Do you like my new hairstyle?"

Being a guy, my eye for detail in regards to female fashion was nonexistent. "Uh…."

"Ah! Mika-senpai! Good morning!" Ushio interrupted as she popped up next to me, saving me from having to answer.

"Good morning, Ushio-san," the older girl replied with a small bow.

"Are you here so we can walk to school together?"

Mika flinched just slightly, and I realized that she likely hadn't thought of that. "W-Well, sure!"

"Great!" Ushio chirped. "Just give me a couple of minutes and I'll be ready!"

As Ushio ran off to finish getting ready, I looked back to Mika and noticed that she still had her twintails but she hadn't used all of her hair; instead she had used a couple of small white ribbons to make two thinner tails out of a couple of locks from around the top of her head. Something about the placement of the ribbons made me feel nostalgic for some reason.

She must have caught me looking, because she gave me what appeared to be a knowing smile. "So, what do you think? Do you like it?"

"It's…nice," I managed to lamely reply.

"Thank you," she blushed. "I want to look more adult, but I'm not quite ready to give up the twintails. I thought this would be a good compromise."

"I think I understand."

"Besides," she said, reaching up to touch one of the ribbons, "having these makes me think of both Mom and Aunt Kyou."

I blinked. "Yeah, I think I get it; your mom has a ribbon on one side, and Kyou has it on the other, except theirs are on the sides where yours are more toward the top."

"Exactly!" she exclaimed. "I'd look pretty silly having my tails coming straight out of the sides, so this works. Anyway, I really didn't stop by to show you my hair; I came by to give you this," she said as she brought her other hand from behind her back; in it she held a brown paper bag.

"What's this?" I asked as I accepted the bag that she was nearly pushing into my chest.

"Y-Your lunch for today," she said with a shy smile.

"My lunch?" Was she serious? "Mika-san-"

"Please call me 'Mika'."

"Mika-san," I emphasized, hopefully letting her know that I wasn't going to be pushed around like that, "you already make dinner for me even though you don't have to. Besides, do your parents know that you did this?"

"Nope!" she replied with a bright smile.

I thought for a moment, then sighed. "Look, I appreciate you thinking of me, but I don't think that it's right for you to use your family's resources on me like this without talking to them first."

"Ooo, good point," she said as her expression turned concerned. "Well, they already know that I'm pursuing you so it shouldn't be a surprise…"

I swallowed hard, feeling a little intimidated by her openness.

"…but I see what you mean; I don't pay for any of the food, so I should ask them."

"S-Sure."

She looked up at me with an affectionate smile that seriously creeped me out. "Thank you, Okazaki-sama; I guess I was so caught up in wanting to take care of you that I didn't think things through. I'll make sure to apologize to my parents and then ask for their permission properly."

"S-Sounds like a plan," I replied as I tried to hold her gaze; I would not lose to a teenager!

"Anyway, I hope you enjoy your lunch, and I really hope that my mistake hasn't spoiled it for you."

"Thank you," I said, not sure what else to say.

Fortunately, I was saved again by Ushio. "I'm ready!" she exclaimed, sounding slightly out-of-breath. "Sorry to keep you waiting."

"It's okay," Mika replied gently. "Your dad and I have been talking, so I really wasn't waiting."

"Good," my daughter said as she worked on putting her shoes on, and a moment later she was finished. "Ready to go!"

"Have a good day, sweetie," I said as I kissed her on the forehead, partly relieved for the distraction from our guest.

"You too, Daddy," she said before giving me a peck on the cheek. "I love you."

"I love you too," I replied. "See you later."

As Ushio passed through the doorway outside, I looked over at Mika to bid her farewell and was slightly alarmed to see her looking at me with what appeared to be a lost expression, her mouth opening and closing as though she wanted to say something.

"Have a good day, Mika-san," I said as politely as I could. "Do your best."

"Th-Thank you, you too," she replied, still looking subdued.

As the girls headed away from the apartment I shut the door and beelined it to my phone with the intent to calling Kappei…until I remembered the time. "Damn; I don't have time for a phone call and I don't know if he'll answer." I then blinked as I remembered that I could receive texts. I'd never sent one, but knew my phone could receive them. If it could receive, then… I quickly found the text app and scanned the screen to figure out how to send one. "This looks like a microphone…" I muttered as I tapped one of the many on-screen buttons. I heard a chirp at the same time I saw a message on the screen prompting me to say something. "Um…hello?" I tried, and as few second later I saw 'Hello' appear in what I assumed was a text box.

It took a little more work, but I finally got a message sent to Kappei: _"Mika stopped by this morning and gave me a lunch she made from your stuff. She's going to apologize to you for not asking. Just thought you should know."_

"I guess I'd have to learn about this stuff eventually," I grunted as I tapped the 'Send' button; the technology had been around for years, but I was apparently too old-fashioned to learn about it before. "I just hope I sent it to the right person." I set the phone back down and worked on getting ready for work.

An hour later I was slipping on my shoes when my phone made the sound that told me I'd received a text, so I quickly pulled it out of my inside coat pocket. Sure enough, it was a reply from Kappei: _"Got it. Thanks for the heads-up. Sorry for the trouble. We'll talk to her."_

I was tempted to reply with 'Please don't punish her' but I figured that'd be stepping on their parental toes, so I decided against it as I headed out the door to work.

* * *

Fortunately, the first part of my workday wasn't as exciting as my morning had been; other than getting a text from Kappei letting me know that he'd told his daughter to go home after club things were pretty normal, and lunch arrived before I knew it.

"Brown-bagging it today, Okazaki?" my boss said as I retrieved my lunch from my desk drawer.

"Yeah," I said, hoping he wouldn't ask where it came from.

"Ah, it must be nice, having a sweet daughter who'll make lunches for her 'daddy'," he sighed. "All my wife could pop out were three boys."

I resisted the urge to point out the genetic side of things; namely, that the sperm was the big variable. "It must be rough," I replied as sympathetically as I could.

"I manage…somehow," he whined melodramatically. "Okazaki; would you be willing to part with some of your home-made lunch?"

Of course I felt the pressure of a request from my boss, but… "I'm sorry, chief; I feel like I'd be dishonoring her intentions if I shared it with others. She made it specifically for me, after all."

"Ah, part of your recovery?"

"That's my understanding," I replied honestly. It actually wasn't far from the truth; Mika had changed my menu to reflect my dietary needs due to my surgery, and it wasn't unreasonable to assume that she made my lunch with that in mind. Of course, my boss didn't need to know about all that. "More protein and stuff to help rebuild tendons and muscles."

"Jeez, Okazaki," I heard one of my other coworkers gag from a nearby desk. "Ease off the medical stuff, would you? I'm trying to eat, here."

"Sorry," I said sheepishly as my boss laughed.

"Well, you enjoy that," he said, lifting a hand as he started to walk away. "And make sure to thank your daughter for taking such good care of her dad, eh?"

"Y-Yeah…" I said as I reflexively thought of my not-so-mysterious benefactor. "I-I'll do that." As he disappeared into his office I opened the top of the bag and peered inside to find several small, lidded containers, and I started pulling them out to set on my desk. Somewhere along the way I pulled out a set of chopsticks as well; they looked like nice ones, like those found in the nicer restaurants. "She thought of everything, didn't she?" I mused.

I then worked on opening the containers to find rice, vegetables…and pork cutlets. "Mika…" I sighed, "…what am I going to do with you?" I figured that I knew what her answer to that particular question would be, but the rhetorical question still seemed fitting.

I sighed again as I pressed my hands together. "Thanks for-" I cut myself off, my hands lowering to my desk as an image of Kyou praying at Ushio's grad party came to mind. I had been using that phrase for years; of course; that's just what we Japanese did, right? But who was I thanking? Mika? She prepared the food, but she didn't buy the ingredients. Ryou and Kappei? They bought the ingredients, but hadn't made them themselves.

I finally shook my head, filing the thoughts away for later as I put my hands together. "Thanks for the food."

* * *

My lunchtime thoughts continued to bug me as I headed home from work. "Great; first Mika, and now this," I grumbled. "Can't I just eat lunch in peace?"

My mood lifted as I entered the apartment to the delicious smell of food cooking. "I'm home. Hey, that smells great!" I said as I changed my shoes. Then I headed to the kitchen area and poked my head around the corner. "Thanks for your hard work, Ushi…oh."

"Thank you," she said shyly as she stirred the contents of a pot. "But Mika-senpai is the one doing most of the work; I'm just helping."

"Good afternoon, Okazaki-sama!" Mika greeted, and from her posture she appeared to be chopping vegetables. "I'm sorry, but I won't be able to stay long; Dad wanted me to come home right after club, so I'll do as much as I can before I have to leave. Ushio-san can take over after that."

"Y-Yeah…" I said lamely. "Aren't you worried about getting in trouble for not going straight home?"

"No," she said with a shake of her head as she moved the chopped-up vegetables to a pot. "Dad said that since he told me about it so suddenly that I could stop by long enough to start the meal prep."

"O-Okay…" I said lamely.

She gave me a mischievous smile before turning back to the cutting board. "Aren't you going to ask me about club?"

Of course, Kappei had already told me about her rejoining the club, but apparently she didn't know that, so… "S-Sure… What about club?" I ad-libbed. "Are you back in the Volleyball Club, then?"

"Yup!" she chirped. "I started up again about a week ago."

"What about the Student Council?"

She turned around fully and gave me a sly grin. "I told them that unless they wanted to lose the sole member of their Disciplinary Committee that they'd need to let me have the time to do what I love."

"Good for you," I said, feeling a warm smile spread across my face in spite of my discomfort. "Couldn't they kick you out, though?"

"They could," she admitted as she turned back to the counter. "They won't, though; they'd have to get someone else to fill the position, and no one else wants to do it."

"Mika-senpai…" Ushio giggled.

I couldn't help but chuckle myself. "Well, good for you; I'm glad you're able to do something you enjoy."

"Thank you," she replied with a duck of her head.

A few minutes later, we saw her off at the front door. "Thank you for tutoring me, senpai," Ushio said as Mika stood on our front porch. "I feel like I learned a lot."

"I'm glad if I helped," she replied with a gentle smile which then shifted to an expression of discomfort. "Are…Would you two be available on Thursday night at six?"

My daughter and I looked t each other before I spoke. "Well…you know that's our usual dinner time. Why? What's going on?"

"I have a game on Thursday," she explained. "My parents will be there, but I'd like it if the two of you could attend as well."

"Oh, I'd love to go!" Ushio gushed as she grabbed onto my arm. "Oh, could we go, Daddy? With everything senpai's done for us, we should go and support her!"

Damn if my kid didn't have a point. "I…suppose," I said, unable to think of any reasonable way out of it. Finally, I sighed. "We'll be there. We'll figure something out for dinner, since I'm assuming you won't be coming over."

"Oh, that's right!" she exclaimed, her hands flying to her mouth. "I'm sorry; I should have told you sooner!"

"Don't worry about it," I said, lifting a hand. "Like I said; we'll figure something out."

"O-Okay."

"You'd better get going," I told her, nodding past her. "I don't want you getting in trouble."

"Okay," she repeated, this time with a smile. "Thank you. Have a good day Okazaki-sama, Ushio-san."

"See you tomorrow, senpai!" Ushio called with a wave as her senior headed away from our home. Once Mika's form disappeared around the corner, she then turned to me. "Daddy, is there something you need to tell me?"

I blinked, surprised by the sudden question. "Me? Tell you something? Isn't it supposed to be the other way around?"

"Not this time," she said with an impish smile and a shake of her head. "Mika-senpai told me all about it already, you know."

I tried to keep the shock from my expression as I tried to distract myself by quickly texting Kappei about his daughter's departure. "Wh-What did she tell you?"

She giggled behind her hand as she headed to the kotatsu. "That she confessed to you last night."

My jaw hit the floor, figuratively speaking. "Sh-She did?"

A nod. "She told me about it while we were working on dinner, before you got home."

"What did she tell you?" I repeated as I took my place at the kotatsu.

"How she confessed to you and how kind you were when you turned her down."

"Huh…"

"And she told me that she wasn't giving up, that she would work hard to make you like her," she finished.

"Ushio, no one can make another person like them."

"I know," she said. "It's just the way we talk in high school, I guess."

"Doesn't that bother you, though? Having someone two years older than you pursuing your dad?"

She sighed as her eyes lost focus. "If it were anyone else, I'd say 'yeah'. But…Mika-senpai seems so much older than eighteen."

"She's definitely not thirty-six, though," I quipped.

"I know that," she giggled. "And I haven't forgotten what Ashton-sensei said about maturity… It's just…" She sighed, apparently unsure how to finish her thought. "If you two started dating, I'd be moved out before you'd want to get married."

My jaw hit the floor for the second time. "U-Ushio, are you serious? Are you seriously suggesting that I date your schoolmate? What about your mom?"

"She's gone, Daddy," Ushio said softly as she rested a hand on my arm, "and I never knew her, so I can't miss her like you do. Yeah, I wish she had lived to be my mom now, but that's not how things turned out."

I sighed; she had a point, but… "I think I understand, but that doesn't change that I'm twice her age."

"Only until her next birthday," she countered, letting her hand drop from my arm. "After that it's just eighteen years apart. It might seem like a long time right now, but what about when you're, like, sixty or something?"

"Forty-two," I calculated reflexively. Then, it occurred to me: "Ushio? Have you been talking to Kyou about this?"

"No," she replied with a puzzled expression. "I only found out today. I mean, I kinda thought Mika-senpai liked you, but I figured I was seeing things wrong. I'm only sixteen, after all," she finished with a giggle.

"Are you saying you'd be okay with me dating Mika?"

"I want you to be happy," she said with an earnest expression. "And even I can see that she makes you happy."

"Huh?"

"And even before she told me about her confession I could tell that she cared about you. Are you saying you couldn't tell?"

I had to think for a minute. "I…No, I didn't. I guess I was so caught up in my stuff that it never really occurred to me."

"Well, she does," Ushio declared with a knowing smile. "She talks about you at school, she's studied nutrition to make sure you get the nutrients you need to heal…" She raised her hands in a shrug. "It's like you're her world now."

I sat in mute shock; she really thought about me that much… "Why…?" I asked, more to myself than to anyone.

"She loves you," Ushio said simply. "That's what she said, right?"

"Well, yeah…"

"So, it's not that hard; she loves you and is showing it. What are you going to do…Daddy?"

* * *

After dinner I ignored my daughter's sly smile as I grabbed my phone and headed to my room. The moment I shut the door behind me I pulled up Kappei's number and called it.

" _Hey Okazaki, this is Kappei."_

"Hey, Kappei. Listen, Mika just invited Ushio and I to her volleyball match on Thursday."

" _I figured she would."_

"The problem is…I couldn't think of any way to get out of it."

" _Grow some balls, man!"_ he laughed. _"Seriously, though; Ryou and I will be there along with Kyou and her fiancé, so she shouldn't have much of a chance to do anything funny, if that's what you're worried about."_

I sighed. "To be honest, I'm partly worried about this situation damaging our friendship. Between you and me, I mean."

" _We're fine,"_ he said reassuringly. _"I know what my daughter's like, even though this kinda threw us a curveball. I also know_ _you_ _well enough; you're an honorable man, Okazaki."_

I breathed a sigh of relief. "Thanks; I guess I needed to hear that."

" _No problem!"_ An uncomfortable pause. _"Look, as long as you don't try to lead her on, you won't have any problems from me or my wife."_

"Understood. Thanks."

" _You're welcome! By the way, you wanna join us for dinner after the match? We're celebrating her return to the Volleyball Club. Our treat."_

I smirked. "I always make it a policy to accept free food."

" _Thought you might,"_ he chuckled. _"Look, I just want to say one more thing about my daughter and then be done with it for now."_

"Okay."

" _Her mother and I will talk to her about her choices, but we're not going to tell her to leave you alone. She's an adult, so we're more in a…jeez, what did Ryou call it? That's right; we're more like advisors at this point. We'll still tell her what we think of her problems and choices, but at this point it's less about telling her what to do and more about helping her through her thoughts."_ A pause. _"Did that make sense?"_

"Yeah; it's basically my job to tell her to leave me alone."

" _That's right!"_ he said good-naturedly. _"Seriously, though; we'll make sure she's thought this through so she isn't needlessly harassing you or something."_

"Thanks."

" _You're welcome! Anything else?"_

"No, I think that's it," I sighed.

" _Well, see you Thursday then! And, uh…good luck!"_

"Thanks," I snorted. "See you later."

I ended the call and tossed my phone onto the nearest cushion. While part of me was dreading Thursday night…a small part of me was unexpectedly looking forward to it.


	26. Volleyball Dinner Date

**Chapter Twenty-Six: Volleyball Dinner Date**

"Hurry up, Daddy!" Ushio exclaimed, skipping in place as she waited by the front door. "We're going to be late!"

"Yes yes, sorry," I said as I hurried to the door; it had taken me longer than expected in the bathroom because some of my hair had suddenly decided to stand up on its own, like a cowlick. In the end I had to give up, but at least I managed to comb it to the point where it wasn't as pronounced. "Just need to get my shoes," I mumbled as I patted my back pocket to check for my wallet. "Good; got it," I noted, then rolled my eyes at her giggle. One slip-on of shoes and we were on our way.

"Are you looking forward to seeing Mika-senpai play?" Ushio asked as I locked the door.

I gave myself a minute to think about my answer. "Yeah, I am," I finally replied as we headed away from the apartment. "She's missed playing volleyball, so yeah; I'm looking forward to watching her do something she loves."

"The Volleyball Club wears bloomers, you know," she said, and it was hard to miss the playful tone to her voice. "So Mika-senpai will-"

"Excuse me?" I interrupted as politely as I could; I had a pretty good idea where she was going, but I wanted to give her a chance to decide if she really wanted to go there or not. "What about 'Mika-senpai'?"

"I…I was just…" she stammered as her pace slowed, and I felt a little sorry for her as she tried to save herself.

"Please watch your mouth, sweetie," I cautioned patiently, though I allowed a little paternal irritation to show. "I'm still your father."

"S-Sorry, Daddy," she said, and I could tell that she meant it.

"I forgive you; just don't get carried away, please," I said as gently as I could.

"Yes, sir."

I smiled as I reached out and patted her head a couple of times, hopefully letting her know that everything was fine. "Are you looking forward to seeing her play?"

"Oh, yes!" she exclaimed, her mood executing a perfect about-face. "I've never seen a volleyball match up-close before, so that's kinda exciting! But more than that, I've never seen Mika-senpai doing anything other than scolding other students at school or cooking at our place. It'll be neat seeing her play! I'll bet she's intense!"

"Scolding other students…" I chuckled as my mind took me back to my first encounter with the head of the Disciplinary Committee. "Anyway, I can't argue her intensity; she can certainly get a head full of steam sometimes."

"She sure can," Ushio giggled. "Anyway, I am looking forward to seeing her play; I think she'll be amazing."

"I think so, too," I said with a smile, reaching out to pat her head again as we continued on our way to the school. "That reminds me; are you planning on joining any clubs? I'm sure Mika would love to have you in her club."

"I've…thought about it," she said with a duck of her head. "I just don't know what I'd be good at."

"Well, you could try them one at a time," I suggested, feeling self-conscious; as a former member of the Go Home Club I was feeling a little out of my league. "If you find one that you like, stay there."

"I'll keep that in mind," she said as we rounded a corner. "I just don't want to end up doing something just for the sake of doing something."

"You want it to have meaning?"

"Exactly," she confirmed with a nod.

"That's good thinking," I replied, giving her words serious consideration. "What about doing it just for the fun of it? Just having fun can have value, too."

"I'll…keep that in mind," she repeated, more thoughtfully this time. "Thanks, Daddy."

"You're welcome."

"Maybe I should join the Volleyball Club," she said with an impish grin. "Then I could wear bloomers, too. What do you think of that?"

I reflexively thought of all the boys who'd be seeing my daughter dressed in the school's sports uniform before realizing that she was likely trying to tease me, so I gave her a disapproving look. "Ushio…"

She giggled, and I couldn't help but chuckle while shaking my head at her antics.

We arrived at the school a short time later and merged with the crowd to enter the gym.

"There sure are a lot of people here tonight," Ushio said we found ourselves jostled along by the crowd.

"Yeah," I said, then took hold of her hand. "Here, get behind me; I'll be your ram-prow."

"Thanks, Daddy," she giggled as she tightened her grip on my hand and moved behind me. "I am in your care."

It took a while, but we eventually got inside and started looking for Kappei and Ryou. It took a while longer, but we finally found them, with Kappei apparently shouting at us if his posture was any indicator. "Man, I yelled at you I-don't-know-how-many times!" he exclaimed as we took the seats he had saved for us.

"It's pretty noisy," I said, pointing out the obvious. "If I'd known that it'd be this busy, we'd have left earlier." I looked past him to his purple-haired wife. "Hey, Ryou; good to see you again."

"Good to see you, too," I saw more than heard her reply; fortunately I was decent at lip-reading. "It's been a long time."

"Is your son here?" I asked, looking past the two of them for the typically-stoic teenager.

"He's in the bathroom," Kappei told me. "We've been here a while; we just took our seats when the crowds started showing up about…fifteen minutes ago?" He looked over at Ryou, who nodded. "Yeah, fifteen. Anyway, we've been here a while."

"I see. I assume that Mika's with her team?"

"As far as I know, yeah," he replied, giving me an odd look. "She was supposed to be here a couple of hours before the match, so she left long before we did." His gaze then moved past me. "There you are! What happened; did you fall in or something?"

"No, Dad," I heard Tadashi say indignantly as I turned to see him approaching. "There was a line, the likes of which I have never seen…other than at the girls' bathroom." He turned his attention to Ushio and I and bowed. "Good evening Okazaki-sama, Okazaki-senpai."

"Good evening, Hiiragi-san," my daughter replied, ducking her head in a bow.

"Hey, Tadashi-san," I greeted. "Is school treating you okay?

"Yes, sir," he replied as he claimed his seat on the other side of his mother; fortunately, things had settled down enough that we didn't need to shout at each other anymore. "I am proud to say that I have managed to improve my grade in English from a B to an A."

"Good for you," I said, genuinely pleased by his accomplishment. "Did you have to work hard?"

"Yes and no; English is very inconsistent in its pronunciation, but Uncle Jeff and Aunt Kyou assisted me greatly in my endeavor," he explained.

"'Uncle Jeff'?" I echoed. "Are they married already? It hasn't even been a week!"

"No no," Kappei laughed. "The minute the kids learned about Kyou's engagement, they immediately started calling him 'uncle'."

"I'll admit that I'm eager to have him as part of the family," Tadashi offered.

"I imagine that he's eager to be part of the family, too," I said, remembering the pastor's words about having no family after his parents' deaths. "By the way; aren't they supposed to be here tonight?"

"Yup! In fact, here they come!" Kappei announced as he looked past me again; with the way everyone had been sneaking up on me I must have picked the wrong place to sit.

"I hope we aren't late," Pastor Ashton said with an apologetic expression as he and Kyou slid into the seats behind us. "Oh, good; it looks like the teams haven't come onto the floor yet."

"I told you we'd be fine," Kyou said with a grin as she leaned into him and squeezed his arm.

"Yes, you did," he admitted, reaching over to pat her hands.

"Tomoya-san, Shio-chan; good to see you two," he greeted us with a dip of his head. "How have things been going?"

"Really well, thank you," Ushio replied, bowing as well.

"How have-"

The rest of his question was cut off by the crowd's applause, and I looked to the floor in time to see both teams enter the gym. As expected, Kappei was on his feet in an instant, clapping and putting his fingers to his mouth to whistle. Ryou stood next to him, and I was surprised to see her cheering loudly as well…loudly for her, that is. I returned my gaze to the floor to watch the teams greet each other and smiled as I noticed that the color scheme for the uniforms hadn't changed a bit; red bloomers and a white shirt with a red collar and cuffs. Their opponent's uniforms were solid green save for thin yellow stripes around the cuffs; kind of a gloomy color compared to Hikarizaka's red and white. I felt myself starting to get excited and realized that it must have been because of the competition that would be playing out before me; I must have still had my competitive spirit from way back when I played basketball so long ago.

Ushio must have noticed, because I felt a nudge and looked down to her sly grin. "Are you excited?"

"Yeah, but not for the reason you're probably trying to tease me about," I told her. "I miss competing in sports."

"Oh, right…" she said with a look of understanding. "I'm sorry; I guess I got carried away again."

"Let's just enjoy the game, okay?" I said as we took our seats.

"O-Okay." She turned her attention to the court. "Ah! There's Mika-senpai!"

"Where?" I asked, squinting at the players; even though my eyesight was fine, they honestly all looked the same to me, probably due to their similar-looking hairstyles.

"Jeez Tomoya, what's wrong with your eyes?" Kyou complained from behind. "Back row, closest to us!"

"All right, Kyou," I said, waving my hands over my head as my daughter giggled. "Ease up on the back-seat driving, would you?"

She simply giggled, sticking her tongue out at me as she snuggled up against her fiancé again.

I shook my head with a sigh and studied the players again, quickly finding Mika right where Kyou said she was. Now that I was focused on her I found myself wondering why I wasn't able to pick her out sooner; she was the only one with purple hair, after all. "Whatever…"

Hikarizaka got the ball first, and their server smashed the ball over the net. As was usual for the sport, the other team spent some time bouncing the ball around before sending it back over the net. It was impressive, watching how the team members coordinated their efforts to not only get the ball back over the net, but to do so without running into each other in the process. It seemed like it was much closer, much tighter-knit than basketball. Sure, we'd coordinate with each other, but we still operated somewhat independently, but the volleyball players couldn't hold or dribble the ball so they were in constant motion. I couldn't imagine myself ever doing anything like that.

The crowd roared as Hikarizaka finally drove the ball into the floor on their opponent's side, and we got to our feet as the girls rotated positions and the other team set up to serve.

"That was amazing!" Ushio gushed as we took our seats again. "I don't know how they could do that without running into each other!"

"It is impressive," I agreed, and looked back to the action.

The visiting team served and, after a bit of back-and-forth, managed to score a point, and a smile came to my face as I found out where the families of the other team were sitting.

It was pretty exciting after that, and I found myself on the edge of my seat on more than one occasion. As Mika took her position to serve for Hikarizaka I realized that…I needed this. I needed to be able to just relax and have fun, free from the cares of work and home, if even for a short time. I had been going and going and going ever since I took custody of my daughter that I had, in a sense, lost who I was. I filed this to the back of my mind as she served, the ball expertly and barely grazing the top of the net, and the members of the other team scrambled to for a save, only for the ball to bounce sideways off a girl's outstretched hands and out of bounds.

When all was said and done, Hikarizaka won the game, 25-20, and the whole crowd went nuts, standing and cheering as the girls thanked each other before heading back to their respective locker rooms.

It was easily a half an hour to forty-five minutes later before we were finally able to meet up with Mika. "That was amazing, Mika-senpai!" Ushio gushed as we headed toward the school's main gate.

"Thank you," the teenaged athlete replied before taking another sip from her water bottle.

"That was very impressive, Mika," Ryou praised. "I was never that athletic in high school; you must have got that from your father."

"Hey, you were plenty active," Kyou countered, walking at the back of the group with her fiancé. "I'm not knocking bro-in-law here, but you weren't a slouch, either."

"That's right," I chimed in. "I don't know how many times you helped our class kick ass in PE competitions."

"The ones you actually showed up to," Kyou taunted.

I glanced over my shoulder at my former sparring partner with a smirk. "Are you sure you should be teasing me when I'm trying to support your sister?"

"Ouch, good point," she conceded, her own smirk fading. "Sorry, it was reflex."

"In any case, that was a very impressive match," Pastor Ashton said. "You should be proud of your hard work tonight."

"Oh, I am," Mika replied. "And thank you for praying for me before the match."

My eyebrow jumped at her words; had she asked him to pray for her?

"You're quite welcome," he said warmly.

The restaurant wasn't too far from the school, and I ended up holding the door for everyone else. "Thank you, Okazaki-sama," Mika said, giving me a soft smile as she passed by.

"Yeah, thanks Tomoya," Kyou added with a wink as she and the pastor entered the restaurant.

I sighed with a shake of my head as I brought up the rear behind my giggling daughter.

It didn't take us long to be seated; fortunately, they had a table large enough for all of us. "That's one of the reasons we recommended this place," Kyou told us as she snuggled in to the pastor yet again. "That, and the food here is great."

"I was really impressed with their selection," Pastor Ashton agreed. "I tried their onigiri, and…well, you have to try it to understand."

"Well, let's figure out what we're going to have!" Kappei exclaimed as he picked up his menu. "We're celebrating Mika's return to volleyball as well as a win!"

I exchanged a smile with my daughter before burying my nose in my menu.

I also had to keep my composure as Mika had, of course, sat down next to me, her shoulder occasionally brushing against my arm and making me very uncomfortable. "Gosh, there are so many delicious-looking items on the menu!" she gushed. "Okazaki-sama, what do you think I should order?"

"Whatever you like," I answered matter-of-factly, trying to not get drawn into her situation; I didn't want to be rude, but I did want to discourage any of her attempts at acting like a couple.

"But there are so many things!" she countered, leaning into me to show me her menu. "Would you help me pick?"

"Mika…" I heard Kappei say in a warning tone. "…please mind your manners."

"Yes, Dad," she replied, and I had to raise my menu so she wouldn't see my smile at her pouting tone. "I'm sorry."

I said nothing, figuring she was addressing her dad.

"Daddy?" Ushio half-whispered while gently nudging my other arm. "She's talking to you."

"Huh?" I quickly lowered my menu to find the rest of the group watching me. "Oh! Uh, sorry." I looked over to see Mika watching me with a forlorn expression. "I forgive you, Mika; no harm done."

"Okazaki-sama?" Tadashi interjected, drawing my attention. "In all fairness, Nee-san has always had trouble with choices like this."

"Is that true, Mika-senpai?" Ushio asked, looking around me to her senior.

"Well…y-yeah…" she admitted with a blush. "I get overwhelmed with all the choices and can't make up my mind."

"Sounds like paralysis through analysis," Pastor Ashton observed.

I sighed. If that was really the case... "All right, Mika; I don't know how I can help, but I'll give it a try." I folded my menu back up and carefully leaned toward her as she held her menu so I could look at it with her. "Do you prefer chicken, pork, beef, shrimp, or something else?"

"I…I don't know…" she murmured, her eyes locked on the menu.

I sighed again and took the menu from her, placing it on the table before us. "Okay, don't look at the menu; look at me. Do you prefer chicken, beef, shrimp, pork, or something else?"

She blinked a couple of times. "I like them all, but I like chicken a little more."

"Okay. What kind of vegetables do you prefer?"

"The greener the better," she replied with a smile.

"Okay, then," I said, returning her smile as I reclaimed the menu. "Let's see how much we've narrowed down your choices. We'll look at the chicken dishes with the highest quantity of green vegetables; does that sound okay?"

She nodded, her smile never wavering as we looked back at the menu. Less than a minute later, we'd figured out the best dish for her. "Yeah, that sounds good," she said, giving my arm a squeeze. "Thank you for your help."

"One is glad to be of service," I said, quoting an old American movie I'd seen years ago as I handed her the menu before collecting up my own. "Now I just need to…" I trailed off as I felt like I was being watched, and I lowered my menu to find Kappei, Ryou, and Kyou all watching me, the former two with astonished expressions and the latter with amusement. "What? Did I say something wrong?"

"Tomoya-san," Ryou began, "we've been trying to help her with that for years."

"I…didn't do anything impressive," I protested politely. "Just something I learned when helping Ushio with a similar issue."

"That's not true," Mika told me. "I've needed something like this for a long time, and I've felt bad for making everyone else wait every time we've gone to a restaurant. I'm going to try doing this from now on. Thank you, Okazaki-sama."

The expression on her face had me clearing my throat as I quickly redirected my attention back to my menu. "Y-You're welcome, Mika. Please, I-I need to figure out what I'm going to have, or you'll be waiting for me."

"Okay," the teenager replied softly, and I could hear Kyou snickering quietly from across the table, causing my face to heat up.

"Let's give the man some room," Kappei declared. "He just saved us from a late dinner, after all."

"Dad!" Mika hissed as her mother giggled.

We finally decided on our orders, and our server came and took them before collecting our menus and hurrying off.

"So, feeling like a beef man tonight, are you?" Kappei asked, looking at me with a smirk as we waited for your orders.

"Yeah," I said, glancing over at Mika. "Your daughter has had me on pretty strict diet, and I guess it stuck."

"But you need lots of protein and…" she started before gazing around at the smiling faces around her. "I'm trying to help you recover."

"I'm not complaining," I said, patting her arm before I could catch myself. "I'm actually grateful."

"Me too," Ushio chimed in. "I mean, I would have done my best to help Daddy, but I wouldn't have thought to do all the research you've done. Thank you."

"Y-You're welcome," Mika stuttered as she cast her gaze to the table. "I…I just…"

I was pretty sure I understood what she wanted to say, based on her confession.

A few minutes later the food arrived, and Kappei beamed as he looked to Kyou's fiancé. "Pastor Jeff, would you do the honors tonight?"

The pastor blinked in pleased surprise. "Certainly." He lowered his head and we followed suit. "Lord Jesus, thank you for this time where we can come together to celebrate Mika's return to volleyball as well as her team's victory tonight. Please lead and guide her over the next year as she makes some very important decisions, ones that could affect her life going forward…."

I felt very self-conscious at his words, and I could swear that Kyou was grinning at me from across the table.

"…and grant her wisdom and discernment for what lies ahead. Let your will be done." I got the sense that he was finished, and I opened my eyes as I raised my head to find everyone else doing the same.

"That was really cool," Kappei said as he picked up his chopsticks. "I should learn to pray, too; I'm amazed at how much Kyou's grown up since she met you."

"You jerk," Kyou huffed, throwing her napkin at her brother-in law. "But…you're right; I do feel like I've matured since I met Jeff," she finished sheepishly.

"And all I did was introduce you to the One who matured me," the pastor replied and, oddly enough, I could hear the unusual capitalization in his statement. "The two of you had to works things out. Anyway, I think we're forgetting the reason why we're here."

"Right! Congratulations, Mika!" Kappei exclaimed before stuffing his face with more noodles.

"Good job out there tonight, Nee-san," Tadashi said stoically, though the pride was still hard to miss.

"Thank you," Mika replied while glancing up at me.

"Tomoya, I think she really wants you to praise her," Kyou said, her smirk making a return.

"I-It's okay…" Mika said quietly, still glancing up at me.

"Mika…" Once I had her attention I gave her arm a couple of awkward pats. "You did an awesome job tonight. I was amazed at how you handled yourself out there."

She stared at me for several seconds, her face turning crimson. "Th…Thank you."

"Speaking of Tomoya," Kyou said smoothly, "what are your plans for your future?"

"Kyou!" Pastor Ashton exclaimed, clearly shocked.

"I…" Mika froze, and it wasn't hard to tell what Kyou was trying to get at. "I…I'm sorry; please excuse me." She quickly got up from the table, nearly tripping over my chair as she hurried away toward the exit.

I was furious as I rose to my feet. "What the hell is wrong with you tonight?" I nearly shouted at my old sparring partner. "She's having a hard enough time with it, and you go and do this?" I looked around the table at the shocked expressions of everyone's faces, Kyou's included. "I'm going to go see if she's okay, and when I get back I expect Mika to be treated with proper respect, is that clear? She's not your plaything, Kyou," I finished, jabbing my finger in her direction. I then stormed off without waiting for a reply.

I was still mad as hell when I found the teenager leaning against the wall near the restaurant's exit, her face still aflame as she lightly pushed herself off the wall repeatedly. "Are you okay?" I demanded, and her twitch told me that I needed to moderate my tone. "Are you okay?" I repeated, more gently.

She pushed off the wall one last time to stand before me, though she apparently couldn't look me in the eyes. "I…I'm sorry, Okazaki-sama…"

I blinked in surprise. "F…For what?"

"For…For causing trouble for you."

"For me?" I blinked several more times, trying to figure out what she meant. Failing that, I decided to ask. "What do you mean 'causing trouble for me'? Your aunt was the one shooting off her mouth."

"But if I hadn't fallen for you…then she wouldn't be able to tease you about me."

I chuckled softly; what a sweet girl. Sweet and very direct. "Mika, you can fall for whoever you want; that's your freedom to choose and it hurts no one. Kyou's teasing, however, is uncalled for and…frankly, cruel in my book." I carefully laid my hands on her shoulders. "No one has the right to embarrass you because of your feelings."

"But don't they make you uncomfortable?"

"They do," I admitted, "but my comfort level is not the point. You've done nothing wrong, and even your aunt shouldn't be teasing you about it. I don't know what's gotten into her all of a sudden, but I promise that I'll give her what-for if she tries teasing you again."

"You don't have to do that…" she protested.

"You're right, I don't. But I'm going to. That's my choice; Kyou chose to tease you and I choose to slam her for it."

"Mika?" We both turned to see Kyou heading toward us with an expression of regret, Pastor Ashton right behind her.

Before I realized what I was doing, I had placed myself between Mika and her aunt. "What do you want?"

She glanced at me with a small smile before looking past me. "Mika? I'm sorry."

"F-For what?"

Kyou knotted her fingers a couple of times as her fiancé rested his hands on her shoulders from behind. "I...I'm not sure why I wanted to tease you. All I know is that…I felt jealous."

"Jealous?" the teenager replied as she moved to stand next to me.

"I think so," my old sparring partner said as she stepped away from her fiancé to take her niece's hands. "I lost ten years of my life to a bad choice in a man, and…" She shrugged with one shoulder. "…I guess I'm jealous that you've made such a good choice at such a young age."

Pastor Ashton and I exchanged a glance, and I could feel my face heat up.

Kyou seemed to notice my discomfort and looked to me. "Could you boys give us girls some time alone? I won't tease her anymore; I promise."

I briefly looked over at Mika. "You gonna be okay?" She nodded with a small smile, so I exchanged another glance with the pastor before starting back to our table. "All right, see you in a few, then."

"That was very impressive, the way you stood up for Mika," Pastor Ashton said as we headed back to our seat.

"And awkward, but thanks," I replied as we stepped aside to let a server pass. "It just pissed me off the way Kyou called her out like that in front of everybody. I mean, has she forgotten how rough it can be for high-schoolers?"

"Probably," he replied as we continued to our table. "Remember, she hasn't been in high school for…well, a long time and, unlike you, she doesn't have any children attending high school."

"Ouch. Yeah, good point," I said, running my hand through my hair a couple of times. "All right, I'll cut her some slack."

"I'm sure she'll appreciate that," he replied, and I could hear the humor in his voice.

We got back to the table and moved to sit down again.

"Is she okay?" Ryou asked before I'd finished settling into my seat.

"She'll be fine," I said, exchanging a nod with Pastor Ashton. "She's talking to Kyou right now. They should be back in a bit."

"Man, I feel so unmanly," Kappei lamented as he shoved his half-empty plate away. "I was so focused on letting her be an adult, I didn't think to protect her."

"I don't think that she needed protection per se," the pastor remarked. "From what I've gathered, she just needed to know that someone was on her side as well."

"And Okazaki my man, you did that with flying colors!" Kappei exclaimed with a huge grin as he pulled his plate back again and took up his chopsticks.

"Thanks," I said, feeling quite sheepish as I collected my chopsticks to start eating again.

The girls showed up a few minutes later, giggling with each other. "It looks like you two worked things out," Ryou commented.

"Yeah, we figured out what my problem is," Kyou declared melodramatically. "I'm just burning with jealousy!"

"Aunt Kyou…" Mika giggled as she slid into her seat next to me. "Okazaki-sama? Before we go our separate ways tonight, I'd like to able to talk with you…if neither of you mind, that is," she said, looking past me to acknowledge my daughter.

"I don't mind," Ushio replied kindly.

I looked around awkwardly, my gaze finally settling on Kyou, who gave me an understanding smile and a barely-perceptible nod. "Um, sure," I finally replied. "Just, uh, check with your parents first."

Her eyes widened. "Oh gosh, that's right!" she exclaimed, and she quickly turned to her parents. "I'm sorry! Is it okay? I wouldn't take long!"

Kappei looked to his wife. "No problem here; you?"

"I don't mind waiting a few minutes," Ryou replied. "We could look at the stars while we wait."

"Hey, I like that!" he said, gesturing toward her. "It's a nice, clear sky tonight."

Mika turned back to me with what appeared to be a smile of relief. "Almost did it again."

"Almost," I echoed with a smile of my own.

To my relief, the rest of dinner was a lot less dramatic.

* * *

"Thanks again," I said as we loitered outside the restaurant.

"Hey, no problem!" Kappei replied energetically. "I think we all had a blast!"

"I enjoyed our time together," Tadashi said, reminding me that he'd actually been with us the whole time. I felt bad that we didn't get to talk much this time. "Ashton-sensei, when it's convenient for you I would like to learn how you pray."

The pastor smiled fondly at the young man. "Well, Kyou and I will be over tomorrow; I'm sure we could find the time then."

Tadashi briskly nodded once before joining his parents as they stood a short distance away, looking up at the sky.

I sighed heavily as I turned to my daughter. "Well, are we ready to g-"

"Okazaki-sama?"

I twitched at the sudden intrusion; I'd been hoping that she'd forget about talking to me, but my smarter half reminded me that the odds of her forgetting to talk to me were somewhere around zero. "Yes, Mika?" I said as I turned to address the teenager.

She glanced over at my daughter several times while fidgeting, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. "Ushio-san? Could I talk with your dad for a minute? In private?"

I looked down at my daughter, who looked back up at me with a gentle yet knowing smile. "I'll go watch the stars with the others," she said, then started over toward the rest of the group. "Call me when you're ready."

I watched Ushio walk away for as long as I could without being rude, then finally faced my admirer. "All right, Mika; what did you need?"

She took a deep breath, seemingly gathering her courage. "First, I want to thank you for standing up for me in the restaurant. It…It meant a lot to me."

"I'm glad I could help. I just hated the way she was treating you."

"And that's one of the things I love about you," she told me as she held my gaze. "Your strong sense of justice. I guess another would be your willingness to, uh…act on it."

"Thanks," I said, feeling even more uncomfortable.

"What are your plans for Saturday evening?"

"Huh?" It took me a moment to change gears. "Well, other than you coming over to make dinner, nothing."

I realized that I had spoken too soon when her eyes lit up. "Great! I want to go on a date with you!"

"D-Date…?" I glanced over at the Hiiragis, who were still stargazing with my daughter. "D-Do your parents know about this?"

She nodded emphatically. "They're not comfortable with it, but they told me that they wouldn't get in the way."

I sighed as I realized that it made perfect sense in light of what Kappei had told me the other day. "All right; I'm afraid I can't afford much right now, though."

"You don't have to!" she chirped. "We'll be going on a picnic! I'll bring the food!"

"A picnic?"

She nodded again. "We'll have to have dinner a littler earlier, of course. I hope that won't be a problem."

"What about Ushio?"

She gave me a confident smile. "Not a problem; I'll make something for her to heat up, just like I've done for both of you before. I've talked to her about it already, just to make sure she'd be okay with it."

That would explain the knowing part of Ushio's smile. "You've got everything covered, don't you?"

She stood a little straighter. "It's like I told you: Prepare yourself, Okazaki-sama."

I chuckled in resignation. "I should have listened to you, I guess."

"So….Saturday at 4:30?" she asked with an expectant grin.

I chuckled again as I shook my head. "All right, Mika; Saturday at 4:30."

Her grin faded to a soft smile. "By the way; thank you for calling me 'Mika'."

My smile faded. "Wh-What?"


	27. The Build-Up

**Chapter Twenty-Seven: The Build-Up**

"Mika-san…Mika-san," I repeated as I headed to the church; I'd gotten careless with everything that had been going on, but I was not going to forget again. "Mika-san…" I continued my new mantra as I stepped up to the front door and knocked. "Mika-san…"

The door opened a minute later. "Ah, Tomoya-san; good morning!"

"Good Mik-er, morning," I replied.

He angled his head slightly, as though to study me. "Are you okay? You seem…distracted."

"I am," I admitted as he stepped aside to let me enter. "I, uh, had a bit of a shock the other night."

"I'm sorry to hear that," he said, then brought me to a stop in the entryway; he seemed a little distracted himself. "Listen, Tomoya-san; I think we can take care of most, if not all, of your issues in one session, but…" he trailed off, crossing his arms with a sigh.

"But what?"

He dropped his arms again and fixed me with his gaze. "I'd need some time to put things together, to set it up. The other thing is that…well, it would likely be awkward for you."

"What do you mean?"

"I really can't say at this point," he said apologetically. "Were I to give you all the details now, it could seriously diminish the effectiveness of the session."

"So this would be a normal session, but…different?"

"Something like that," he chuckled. "I think that, in your case, what I have in mind would be very effective, but I'd need your cooperation for there to be any chance of success."

"And you said it would be…uncomfortable?" I wasn't sure whether I liked his idea or not, especially without knowing anything about it.

"Quite possibly, but were you to cooperate I have every good reason to believe that you would see a lot of growth."

I sighed noisily. "Well, I like the idea of growth, especially if it helps Ushio…"

"If you need some time to think about it, I'll certainly understand," he offered.

"No," I said with a wave of a hand. "Let's do it; I'll just…deal with it."

"All right," he said with a gentle smile. "I'll make the arrangements and let you know. Would you be willing to meet during the week if needed? I'd do my best to schedule it for our usual time, but…"

"That's fine," I said, waving my hand again. "Just…give me a date and a time and I'll figure it out."

"All right. In the meantime, we'll hold off on having any more sessions." A longish pause. "Did you want to talk about Mika? I thought I heard her name when you arrived."

I felt my face heat up as I scratched the back of my head. "Not really, but I probably should."

"Shall we head back outside, then?" he offered as he gestured back toward the entrance. I followed him out the front door and across the street to the now-familiar bench. "So, what's going on?" he asked, adopting a more casual tone as he settled into his usual spot.

I rubbed my hands together as I tried to push my emotions aside and think about what I wanted to say. "It's…I realized the other night – or Mika pointed out, actually – that I'd been using her name without any honorifics."

"Really?" he said, resting his elbows on his knees as he leaned forward. "Did it bother her? And are you aware that you just did it again?"

"Mika-san," I growled. "No, it didn't bother her; in fact she asked me to drop it a little while ago."

"I suppose that makes sense in light of her feelings toward you," he noted quietly. "So, I guess I should ask: Does it bother you?"

"Of course," I replied easily.

"Then why are you doing it?"

"I…I don't know."

"Tomoya-san," he said, leaning back again, "I could be wrong, but I think you're not being honest with yourself."

"What do you mean?"

He steepled his fingers as he thought. "I wouldn't be surprised if it turned out that your thoughts and feelings are conflicting, so you're going with how you think you should think or feel."

I mulled over his observation. "You…could be right," I finally had to admit.

"So give yourself a minute; think about what you really feel and what you really think," he suggested. "Close your eyes, if it helps."

I did as he suggested, closing my eyes and looking at my thoughts and feelings as though they were someone else's.

I was slightly startled when the pastor spoke: "Does it bother you that you've stopped calling her 'Mika-san'?"

I sighed. "No, not really."

"Why is that?"

I needed more time for that question. "I think it's because of all the times she's been over to help with dinner, as well as all the times we've talked. I feel…comfortable with her around."

"Anything else?"

"I think it's also because of all the concern she's shown for me; my shoulder and stuff." That answer came more easily. "She studied nutrition to make food that'd help with my recovery."

"Would you say she's invested in you, then?"

"I hadn't thought of that, but…probably, yeah."

"So what really bothers you?"

I came up against a…wall…as I tried to think. "I…I'm having a hard time thinking."

"That's okay," he said, and I felt him gently pat my shoulder a few times. "It's a start, at least. We can do this some more another time, if you want. Really, you could do it on your own if you wanted to; it's not like I'm needed for something like this."

I opened my eyes and looked to him. "You think so?"

"You strike me as a very philosophical individual," he said. "I think all I've done is given you a new tool for your toolbox."

I mulled over his words. "Thanks. I guess I'll try it on my own time, then."

"You have to know where you truly are before you can reasonably expect improvement," he informed me. "You can't get rid of a problem if you don't own it first."

I mulled that over as well. "Yeah, I think I see what you mean."

"Anyway," he said, patting me on the shoulder again, "work on an honest assessment of your thoughts and feelings, and we can talk about this again another time. Sound good?"

"Sounds good," I replied, feeling a smile spread. "Thanks, pastor."

"Glad if I helped," he replied. "Listen; I think we've known each other long enough that you can start calling me 'Jeff' if you would prefer."

I was honored by his gesture, but… "Is that appropriate? After all, you just finished counseling Ushio and I not too long ago."

"I was primarily counseling her," he pointed out. "You were there as a support of sorts." He shrugged. "If you're not comfortable with it, that's fine: I just wanted to let you know that it's an option."

"Okay; I appreciate it."

"Anything else?"

"Oh, right! On Thursday – while the rest of you were stargazing – she, uh…asked me on a date."

His eyes widened. "I thought I heard something about that. Did you accept?"

"Yeah…" I replied awkwardly. "The way she asked me kinda caught me off-guard; she asked if I would be busy tonight, and I assumed she was asking because of her usual visit to make dinner." I paused, half-expecting him to say something, but he was silent so I continued. "Ushio and I didn't have any plans for this evening, and so I told her that. Then she invited me on a date, and…I had a hard time finding a reason to say 'no' without likely hurting her feelings."

He bobbed his head several times in a nod. "I could see that being awkward. Did she invite your daughter as well?"

"No," replied with a shake of my head. "Apparently Mika had already made arrangements with her; she'd come early to make dinner for her and then the two of us would head out."

"Sounds like she had it all figured out," he mused. "That's remarkable forethought. Are you okay with it?"

"Not really," I grunted. "But I don't think she was trying to be sneaky or anything. In any case, I'm going to have to be okay with it, whether I want to be or not."

"And you said your…time together… is tonight?"

All I could give was an embarrassed nod.

"May I pray for you? If we're done here, that is?"

I normally wouldn't have cared one way or the other, but with the way things had been going… "Yeah, if you would."

He studied me intently before reaching out to rest a hand on my shoulder and look up to the sky, so I closed my eyes. "Lord Jesus, I lift up Tomoya-san to you. Please show him what you would have him do in this extremely uncomfortable situation. Bless him with knowledge and wisdom, and reveal to him your plans for his life. Grant him peace with his situation along with clarity. Let your will be done." I felt his hand leave my shoulder, so I opened my eyes again. He studied me for a moment longer before chuckling softly. "I don't envy you your situation, Tomoya-san; you carry the heart of a wonderful young lady in your hands. Please, be as gentle with her as you can."

"I will," I replied, then chuckled as well. "This was really awkward, so…thanks for…not embarrassing me, I guess."

"No problem," he replied easily. "Was there anything else?"

I gave myself a moment to think about it. Finally, I shook my head. "No, I think that's it." I got to my feet and looked up; it was a beautiful day, with small puffy clouds dotting the rich, blue sky. "I think I'll walk for a bit before heading home; I could really use the time to clear my head."

"For what it's worth, I think that's a good idea," he said, getting to his feet and extending his hand. "God be with you, Tomoya-san."

"Uh, thanks," I said; I still wasn't used to his odd sayings, but I accepted his hand to shake it a couple of times. "You have a good day, Pastor Jeff."

"'Pastor Jeff'," he repeated, a smile starting to spread. "I like that. Thank you."

I gave him a half-distracted wave as I headed away from the church and felt bad for it, but I figured he'd forgive me. If not, I'd make sure to apologize if he ever brought it up.

I let my feet carry me wherever they wanted as I turned my gaze inward; it wasn't so much for thinking per se, but for going into my 'nothing box' while my brain sorted and filed away the information from my conversation with Pastor Jeff.

To my surprise, I found myself in front of the Yoshino residence. I looked at the nameplate, then at the front door, then sighed with a smile as I headed up to knock.

"Ah! Tomoya-san! What a pleasant surprise!" Kouko exclaimed when she opened the door. "Come in, come in!"

"I'm sorry for showing up unannounced…again," I said as I followed her into her home. "I actually wasn't planning on coming here in the first place; I just started walking and ended up here."

"Yuusuke would say that happened for a reason," Kouko remarked over her shoulder as she headed toward the doorway that led to the kitchen. "Have a seat and I'll bring you some tea."

"Thank you," I said to her retreating form before settling into the same sofa I'd sat in at my last visit.

Kouko returned a couple of minutes later with a couple of glasses. "I hope you're okay with iced tea; I figured the weather is a little too warm for hot tea."

"No, that's great, thanks," I replied gratefully as I accepted the sweating glass and took a sip. "Ahhh, his is nice."

"Thank you," she replied as she settled into the seat across from me. "Yuusuke's in his office, composing right now. I swear, ever since your last visit he's basically lived in there."

"I'm sorry; I didn't mean to take your husband away from you," I said with a smile.

She chuckled softly before taking a sip of her tea. "Actually, I'm really happy for him; I haven't seen him this…alive…in a long time. I'm really looking forward to hearing what he's written."

"Me, too," I said.

I was about to say something else, but the door to the hall that led to Yuusuke's office opened, revealing my old coworker. "Kouko, would you make me some…" He trailed off as he saw me. "Hey."

"Hey."

"I'm writing music again."

"So I've heard. Good for you."

"Thanks."

We stared at each other until we heard a snort, and looked as one to see Kouko with her hand over her mouth. "Good grief, you two. Yuusuke, did you need something?"

"Oh, yeah; could I get some tea, please?"

She smiled fondly at her husband. "Why don't you take Tomoya-san to your office, and I'll bring your tea down there."

"Yeah. Yeah, that sounds great. Thank you." He jerked his chin in my direction. "Come on; I think you'll like this."

I got up from my seat to follow him. "Your wife says you've been living in your office since the last time I was here."

"Yeah…" he replied evenly. "After the last time you were here, the melodies and the lyrics just kept coming." He stopped outside the door that, I assumed, led to his office. "It's the love for life, the love for love, the love for existence."

"Of course," I said, not understanding him one bit.

He smiled as he turned and opened the door and went through. "If there's one gift I can give the world, it's the gift to really see the world, all its beauty, all its imperfections…" He took a seat on a stool and picked up his guitar. "…the imperfections help point to the beauty, you know?"

I'd never thought about it, but his words made sense. "It's like a contrast?"

"Sort of," he said while gently strumming the strings. "You might not notice the contrast itself, but the beauty…you definitely see the beauty."

"I guess it makes sense," I said. "I guess if everything was beautiful, it'd be like nothing was beautiful."

He stopped strumming and studied me for a moment. "That's the line I've been looking for." He quickly but carefully put his guitar down to grab a pencil and write on a nearby sheet of paper. "Thanks, man."

My jaw worked for several seconds before I could get my vocal cords to activate. "Y-You're welcome, but I'm not sure what I did."

"You helped me find the answer," he replied in his typically ambiguous way as he retrieved his guitar; I'd never understand artists. "But you didn't come here to co-write with me; you're here because of something else."

I hesitated, unsure of what to tell him. "I…was talking with the pastor this morning and decided to go for a walk afterward. To clear my head I guess. I ended up in front of your home before I realized it."

"Then you're here for a reason," he said simply as he started strumming again, and I smiled inwardly as I remembered Kouko's words from earlier. "So, why are you here?"

"I dunno," I said, scratching my chin.

"Whatever it is, it's about a woman, and I'm not talking about your daughter." My gaze snapped up to his gentle yet knowing smile. "You're a widower who's starting to remember love, but there's something not right about it."

I hung my head in resignation; how did he know? "Yeah, something like that."

"Who is she?"

I sighed heavily. "She's the daughter of a couple of friends of mine."

"Daughter?" His eyebrows jumped. "How old is she?"

"Eighteen."

"And you're how old?"

"Thirty-six, thirty-seven at the end of October."

He gave a low whistle which, oddly enough, sounded nice with whatever it was he was playing. "Young girl, get out of my mind…"

"Sorry?"

He shook his head slightly; how he could keep playing while doing all that had me amazed. "Just an old song I heard a long time ago. Anyway, she's not a 'young girl' but an adult…"

"Legally, yes, but…" I raised my hands in a shrug.

"Yeah…eighteen years…" his eyes got a faraway look in them. "Eighteen years old…new to the real world, new to love; it's scary, you know?"

"I remember," I said, thinking back to my early days with Nagisa.

"So she pursued you?"

"Huh?" I shook my head out of my thoughts. "Uh, yeah. She told me about her feelings at her school's Founder's Festival."

"Hm…" He closed his eyes and music burst forth from his guitar, a melody that made me feel happy and sad at the same time, one that caused me to remember my times in high school, with Kyou and Ryou, and eventually…Nagisa; it nearly left me in tears. "People age and people die, but love? Love has no age."

"But it can die," I said, trying to fight the lull of his music.

"Then was it ever truly love?" he countered, his eyes still closed.

"And that's why I can't remarry," I told him. "I still love Nagisa."

"Of course you do," he said, surprising me. "If you ever stopped then it would have been little more than lust with an air of propriety."

I winced at his choice of words, but they made sense…sort of. "But aren't Nagisa and I still married in spirit or something like that?"

"We're spiritual beings, sure, but as long as we're here we're also muscle and bone and nerves, so we need physical connection," he said, his fingers still dancing over the strings.

"It's not good for man to be alone…" I murmured; Pastor Jeff had said it at one of our get-togethers, but it was starting to make more sense. "But if I remarried, I'd be dishonoring her."

"Would you?" he asked, eyes still closed. "How?"

I didn't have an easy answer to that.

"When your wife was alive, did she want you happy?"

"Of course."

"Do you think she would want you happy now?"

I hesitated, mainly because I wasn't sure I'd heard him right. "I'd like to think so."

"Are you happy now?"

Quite the opposite: I was actually starting to get annoyed. "Look Yuusuke, I respect you more than most. But if you're trying to make a point, then make it."

He stopped playing and opened his eyes to fix his gaze on me. "I'm not trying to make any point; I'm trying to help you think."

"I don't want to think anymore!" I yelled in spite of myself as I jumped to my feet and started pacing. "I'm tired of being hit on by girls young enough to be my daughter! First, Ushio tries to make up for killing her mother, then…no wait; first it was her friend who wanted to date me, and she was fifteen! Fifteen, Yuusuke! Then Ushio tries to make up for killing her mother by seducing me, then some girl from the convenience store flirts with me, then…" My stomach lurched at another memory. "But before all that was our waitress when I took Ushio out for her sixteenth birthday! And now Mika…"

"Damn, Okazaki," I heard him murmur, his fingers stilling. "I'm sorry; I didn't know about all that."

I fell back into my seat with a *WHOUF*. "No, I'm sorry; I shouldn't have blown up at you like that."

"Whether you should have or not, it sounds like you needed to," he intoned as he started tickling the strings again. "You're a good man, Okazaki; I know a lot of guys who would have taken advantage of the situation, but you…"

"I love Nagisa," I said simply. "That's all. But…why is it high-schoolers and middle-schoolers? Do I look that young? Aren't there any…I don't know, older women out there?"

"A lot of them are already married," he replied simply, which helped snap me out of my tirade mindset. "And those who aren't are career women, and you wouldn't want one of those, anyway."

"Why not?"

"They enjoy their independence," he said. "I've seen it, too; they'll use a man for the free meals and stuff, then toss him when they get bored. I'm grateful every day that my wife's not like that."

My heart fell; had society gotten that bad while I was out of the loop? "I…I don't know what to say..."

"Be grateful that you still have your looks," he said with a small smile. "Love is ageless, but it can be immature. But it grows and matures in the right soil." It was weird, but it sounded like he was singing the words.

"Do you think I should date her?" I asked. "The eighteen-year-old?"

"Has she enriched your life?"

I sighed. "Yeah, she has."

He leaned back slightly as he continued to strum. "Do you think she'd bring value to a relationship?"

I nodded. "Yeah. I think whoever she marries will be…be…blessed." I would have said 'lucky', but the pastor's term seemed more appropriate.

His eyebrows jumped just noticeably. "Does she seem willing to grow? As a person, that is?"

I gave myself a moment to think about his question; the answer seemed obvious, but I wanted to make sure I was being fair and unbiased. "She seems eager to learn, actually," I finally replied.

"So what's your real issue with her?" he asked, eyeing me with an unreadable gaze.

"The age difference," I admitted, feeling stupid in light of my other answers. "I guess that, since I want the best for her, she should find someone closer to her age."

"But it sounds like she's already made her choice," he countered. "Does she know how old you are?"

I nodded, feeling very self-conscious.

"So what's your real issue with her?"

I blinked up at his repeated question, but I suddenly realized why he asked again. "I'm my real issue."

"How so?"

I licked my lips at the thoughts started to flow. "She's sure about what she wants; to have a family while she's young and then go to college and find work after they move out. Me? I've just been surviving day-to-day for the last sixteen years, and after wasting my youth. I mean, I've been happy raising Ushio, but at the same time I've felt…lost."

"Lost…" he echoed.

I chuckled humorlessly. "It might sound weird, but…I feel like I wouldn't be good enough for someone like her."

"She seems to think differently," he intoned, his eyes still closed as he slowly rocked in his seat, his fingers never leaving the strings. "She wants to give you a chance."

"Yeah…"

"What about you?"

"Me?" I blinked at his question. "What about me? Are you saying I should give her a chance?"

"No," he replied, then suddenly stopped playing and sat up and opened his eyes to fix his gaze on me. "I'm saying you should give yourself a chance."

* * *

"Thanks for letting me visit," I said as I bowed to the Yoshinos. "I…have a lot to think about."

"It was good to see you again, as always," Kouko said with a bow.

"Thanks for stopping by," Yuusuke said as he dipped his head. "Thanks to you, I have a lot of new songs to write."

Kouko looked over at her husband with an expression of surprise before returning her gaze to me. "You two must have had a lot to talk about."

"Not a whole lot, but it was deep," Yuusuke replied as he gave me a wink and a smile. "Make sure to bring your daughter next time, eh?"

"Sure thing," I said, returning his smile. "And I'll try to not pop up on your doorstep from now on."

"Oh, don't worry about that," Kouko gushed as she briefly took hold of my hands. "I'm just glad we can be here for you."

"Me, too," I said with an embarrassed chuckle. "I'll try to invite the two of you over when things settle down."

"Three."

I jumped at the sudden but familiar voice coming from behind me. "H-Hey, Fuuko," I said, trying to slow my heartbeat as I turned around to face her.

"You forgot Fuuko again."

"Fuuko, he didn't mean anything by it," Kouko said in a lightly scolding tone. "You need to stop taking things like that so personally."

Fuuko didn't reply to her older sister's words, but instead addressed me. "Would Fuuko be welcome, too?"

"Of course," I said easily. "I didn't mean to forget you; it's just that your sister and brother-in-law were right here, and you don't live with them, and you and I have only talked a couple of times."

"Oh…right," she replied, looking down at the ground. "Sorry."

"Don't worry about it," I said while resisting the urge to pat her head. "Anyway, you're welcome to come over, too; I'm sure Ushio would love to see you."

"O-Of course," she said, looking back up at me. "Would…Would Okazaki-san love to see Fuuko, too?"

"W-Well…" I wasn't sure how to answer, especially with her family right there.

Fortunately, Kouko came to my rescue. "Fuuko, he needs to get going; Ushio will be waiting for him."

"O-Of course!" the shorter woman blurted. "Have a good day, Okazaki-san!"

"You too, Fuuko," I replied, a little puzzled by her behavior. "Have a good day." Figuring it was a good time to leave, I gave them a friendly wave and a smile as I headed off.

My conversation with Yuusuke played out in my head over and over again and I was back home before I realized it. "Welcome home, Daddy!" Ushio greeted from her spot at the table. To my surprise, Mika was there already and a quick glance at the clock told me that I'd been out longer than I thought. "Is everything okay? You were out a long time."

"Yeah, everything's fine," I said, wondering if I was telling the truth. "My time with Pastor Jeff went a little longer than we expected, and I wandered around a bit to clear my head."

"Well, I hope you're feeling better," Mika said quietly; she looked a little unsure of herself. "Are…Are you ready to go?"

"Give me a few minutes," I said, chuckling to try to conceal my nervousness.

"Okay," she replied, an awkward smile starting to spread as she glanced at my daughter. "I'll wait."

I hurried away from that smile as quickly as I could and into the bathroom, where I quickly splashed cold water on my face. "What a day…" I mumbled. As I looked back up I caught my reflection in the mirror over the sink. "What the hell have you gotten yourself into, Okazaki?" I grumbled with a shake of my head.

As I lifted my hands to shake them out before drying them I saw they were already shaking, and I stared at them stupidly before I noticed that my anxiety level was really high. I clasped my hands to make them stop shaking but they wouldn't stop. Why was I so nervous-no, afraid? I tried to take a step back and look at my thoughts and feelings like Pastor Jeff had talked about earlier, but my stress was messing with my focus. "What is your problem?" I growled at my reflection, and then one possibility came to mind: I was afraid of being labeled a 'pervert'… "No," I mused, shaking my head. "I'm afraid that I might find out that I actually am a pervert."

But how was I the pervert? Mika had pursued me, after all; if I'd been the one to pursue her, hanging out at the high school and the like, then it'd be more likely that I was a pervert. "Let's just get this over with," I finally decided. "I'll deal with all this later." I risked a glance upward, where the pastor usually looked when he prayed. "If you're there and it wouldn't be a bother, help me out here?" With that, I splashed my face one more time before drying off and heading to my room.

I entered the living room a few minutes later, having changed into different clothing appropriate for the time of day. "All right, Mika; I'm as ready as I'm going to be. Do you need me to bring anything?"

"No, thank you," she said as she got to her feet and held out a Frisbee. "Ushio-san was kind enough to loan me this, and I already have our…the picnic meal packed."

"A-All right, then," I said, glancing over at my daughter's amused expression. "Let's go. See you between six-thirty and seven-o-clock, sweetie."

"Okay, Daddy," she replied, her grin threatening to take over her face. "Have a good time."

"Y-Yeah," I said as I scooted to the door, where Mika stood waiting. "Thanks."

I felt Mika's gaze on me as I changed into my outdoor shoes, and when I straightened, she had an excited look along with a flush to her cheeks. "Ready to go?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Lead the way," I replied as I tried to ignore a gnawing in my gut.


	28. The Main Event

**Chapter Twenty-Eight: The Main Event**

"Here, let me carry that."

"Thank you."

I gave Mika a small smile as I took the picnic basket from her hands. "I'm sorry I didn't think to offer sooner; I have a lot on my mind."

"I could tell," she said quietly as we walked. "You've been quiet ever since we left your place. Do you want to talk about it?"

The truth was, I did; I wanted to talk about my dad, I wanted to talk about my time in high school, I wanted to talk about my sessions with Pastor Jeff…but most of all I wanted to ask her why she wanted to be with me the way she did. Propriety won out, however. Or maybe it was cowardice. "I'm fine."

"Okay," she said, but her tone of voice told me that she didn't believe me.

"Have you come down from your win yet?" I asked, referring to Thursday's game.

"A little," she replied with a giggle. "It's hard to believe that I helped our team so much after only being back for a week-and-a-half."

"Well, it's probably like any skill; once you have it, you never lose it. It might get rusty, but…" I shrugged, not sure how to finish my thought.

"Do you think…?" she trailed off, and I looked over to see her nibbling on her lower lip. "Do you think – now that your shoulder's healing – that you could play basketball again?"

I barked a bitter laugh. "Me? It's been over twenty years since I've tried to shoot a basket." I shook my head. "No, I don't think skill lasts that long."

"Hm." I looked over again to find her with a thoughtful expression. "I wish I'd thought to bring a basketball."

"Seriously?" I chuckled, this time without the bitterness. "The last time I tried to shoot hoops was when…" I trailed off as I remembered; Nagisa had waited for me after school so she could see me shoot a basket, before she knew about my injury. "It…was a long time ago."

"It looks like it was painful for you…and I don't mean physically," she said, and I could hear the sympathy in her tone.

"I was…surprised by the memory," I admitted. "But yeah, it was painful."

"Was it because of your wife?" she asked, then quickly covered her head and came to a stop when I snapped my gaze to her; I must have looked scary. "I…I'm sorry!"

"N-No, you're fine," I told her as I worked on calming my nerves. "I was just…surprised by your insight."

"Huh?"

"Nagisa had told me how cool she thought it was that I could play basketball," I explained as we started walking again, "so she wanted to meet me after school so I could shoot baskets for her."

"…but you couldn't because of your shoulder…" she realized.

"Right. And since I was a jerk at the time I initially blew her off and hung out with Sunohara until it started raining."

"Was Sunohara a friend of yours?" she queried.

"Sort of, but that's a long story, too. Anyway, when it started raining I imagined her waiting out in it so I ran back to the school and found her just as I thought I would."

"Oh, my…" she said with a sympathetic giggle.

"She wouldn't stop pestering me about it, so I showed her what I could do." I held my right arm straight out in front of me. "She got to see me drop the ball about three or four times. I told her about my injury after that."

"That must have been embarrassing for her," Mika said sadly.

"It was my fault, really," I told her. "If I'd just been upfront about it in the first place, she never would have gotten sick from waiting for me."

"She got sick?!" Mika exclaimed.

I nodded awkwardly, still feeling the shame in spite of how long it had been. "She already had some condition that messed up her immune system or something, and standing out in the rain for so long…she ended up bedridden for about a week or so."

"You must have felt awful," she said sympathetically.

I nodded again. "I…kicked my ass for a while after that."

She giggled as we rounded the last corner before the entrance to the park. "Did you want to sit under a tree or out in the sun?"

"I don't really care," I replied as we passed through the gates. "But with how late in the day it is, it might be a good idea to sit in the sun; otherwise, we could get pretty cold later. Do you have any cold foods we should be worried about?"

"I did pack some, but they can be out in the sun for a while."

"Well," I said as I stretched my arms toward the grassy field, "wherever you'd like, I guess."

She eventually chose a spot, then took a blanket from the basket and worked on spreading it out. Once she had finished, I set the basket on one corner of the blanket and we started unpacking.

"This is a lot of food," I remarked with no small amount of awe as the blanket started to fill up. "It all looks so good, but I don't know that we'll be able to eat it all."

"Don't you need a lot of calories, though?" she said as she brought out two covered containers.

"Maybe if I was still a teenager, yeah," I chuckled. "At my age, though?" I chuckled again.

"Oh…"

I felt a subdued 'vibe' from her direction and I quickly looked over to find her with her eyes downturned. "Oh Mika, I'm sorry; I wasn't trying to say anything bad. I spoke before I thought." I reached out and rested a hand on her shoulder. "Thank you for all your hard work. I'm sorry."

"It's okay," she murmured. "I guess I should have known better."

I studied her for a moment longer, then smiled softly. "Could we go ahead and start eating the food that I'm very grateful to you for making?"

She giggled as she brought a hand to her eye. "Y-Yeah….let's do that."

We put our hands together. "Thanks for the food."

I reached for my plate, only for her to grab it up and start putting food on it. "Um, thanks?" I said, surprised but not surprised.

"You're welcome," she replied with pinked cheeks. "I didn't mean to take over; I guess I'm just used to making sure you get what you need."

"It's fine," I said. "You just surprised me…sort of."

She giggled, her cheeks darkening further as she continued to fill my plate. "Here you go!" she exclaimed as she presented me with her current masterpiece. "Protein, healthy oils, vitamins, and nutrients."

"Looks…good," I chuckled; I saw meat, vegetables, egg, and rice, but I figured she knew what she was talking about. "Thank you."

"Y-You're welcome. Go a-ahead and get started."

I smiled to myself as I picked up my chopsticks and dug into my meal. "Wow, this is really good."

"Th-Thank you."

I smiled at her awkward reply as I looked up at the blue sky overhead. She had picked a spot on the edge of a tree's shade; that way, we'd get more of the sun's light later, when we'd be more likely to need its heat. Smart thinking, really.

"Would you like some tea?" I heard her offer.

"Thank you," I replied, turning toward her to receive the cup from her extended hand. Then I noticed that she had her hair ribboned in a familiar style. "Hey, you have your hair like that again."

She reached up to touch one of the 'twintails' that made me feel nostalgic. "Do you like them?"

"It might sound weird, but…yeah, I do," I admitted. "To be honest, I'm wondering if the style is from my time or something; it makes me feel nostalgic for some reason. Is it one of those 'what's old is new again' styles?"

"Not as far as I know," she giggled as she started to blush.

"Are you okay?" I asked. "I didn't say something weird, did I?"

"No, it's just…" She waved a hand as she appeared to be trying to get her giggles under control. "It's just that…we had a guest speaker for our science class a while ago."

"Was this before the first time you had your hair like this?"

She nodded, still giggling. "She was a researcher from this big science institute that specializes in string theory or something like that. She was there to encourage us to take our studies seriously."

"You don't sound like you were really paying attention, though," I observed with a smirk.

"I really didn't mean to be disrespectful," she said, waving her hands through her giggles. "It's just that…she talked like a weird combination of an adult and a child."

I tried to imagine what that would sound like but couldn't. "What does this have to do with…wait, did you copy her hairstyle or something?"

"Yeah, but there's more to it than that," she replied before taking a couple of deep breaths, presumably to calm herself. "After her presentation they had a Q&A session; the problem was that I'd been so distracted by how cute her hair was that…that…"

"Mika, are you telling me that you actually asked a scientist about her hair?" I asked, starting to feel my own amusement bubble to the surface.

"It was so embarrassing!" she cried as she covered her face with her hands."But I stood up and asked the question before I could stop myself!"

"It looks like she showed you how to do it, though," I chuckled.

She nodded, hands and all. "She was very kind to me."

I put down my plate and reached out to carefully take hold of one of her 'twintails'; something about the style, especially the placement of the ribbons seemed so familiar… "That's just weird."

"Okazaki-sama…?"

I blinked as I realized what I was doing and released her hair. "I'm sorry; got caught up in a memory that I can't quite remember. I didn't mean to take liberties or anything."

"I…I don't mind," she said, blushing even more. "You can touch my hair whenever you want, okay?"

"E-Excuse me?!" Had I heard her correctly?

She took a deep breath and looked me in the eye in spite of a blush that was becoming fiercer by the second. "I said that you may touch my hair whenever you want. If you are ever going to be able to determine whether I would make a good wife or not, you'd need to know how well I take care of myself, right?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well…" She took a length of her hair and ran her fingers through it. "The health of a girl's hair is a sign of the health of the girl, right? So if I want you to know that I take care of myself…" she trailed off with a shy glance to the side.

I sighed; I hadn't thought about it, but her words made sense… I shook my head in an attempt to clear the errant thought as well as a sudden ache in my heart. "B-But I'm not looking for a wife, Mika."

"I…I'll change your mind," she declared, the blush fading from her face as her confidence made a return. "B-But don't worry, I…I won't try to a-allure you unfairly; I'll just show you how good a wife I'd be so you'll want me around."

I chuckled softly at her courage. 'Prepare yourself', she had said. "Why are you so interested in me in the first place? I'm about the same age as your parents, for crying out loud. I'm a salaryman with a teenage daughter two years younger than you are." I spread my hands helplessly. "There's really not much to me to be attracted to."

"You are a very good man, Okazaki-sama," she declared. "You took a chance with the surgery even though you knew you could've lost the use of your arm, you've been a great father to Ushio-san, and you've been very patient with me."

"That's just being an adult," I countered.

"That's not necessarily true."

"Excuse me?" I smirked. "And what do you know about being an adult, young lady?"

"I know what my mom and dad and Aunt Kyou have taught me," she said with a determined expression. "What I just said isn't just my opinion; Mom and Aunt Kyou weren't in love with you in high school for nothing, you know."

"Wh-What?" I knew about Kyou, of course, but Ryou…? "Y…Your mom…?"

She nodded solemnly. "She told me about you a long time ago; I think it was after you got custody of Ushio-san again."

"But how did your mom know about that?" I asked, then realized... "Kyou must have told her."

"I don't know the timing of it all," she explained, "but she must have talked to Mom before that jerk imprisoned her in his house. Imprisoned Aunt Kyou, I mean."

"O-Okay, I think I get it," I acknowledged, "but…what did your mom tell you?"

'I really shouldn't say too much since it's Mom's story," she said while tracing a circle on the blanket. "But she told me that you were cute and strong…strong like you didn't care what other people thought of you."

I snorted; that was partly true. "I didn't want to care what others thought of me, but it was upsetting when they'd talk bad about me. I still had emotions, after all."

"I'm sure you did," she said with a fond smile, which creeped me out. "After all, you did all that stuff for your wife so she could have her performance, right?"

"R-Right." Just how much did she know about me, anyway?

"Anyway, Aunt Kyou felt the same way."

"I don't get it, though," I said, trying to process the new information. "If the twins were both attracted to me, why didn't either of them say anything?"

Mika took a deep breath, appearing to gather her thoughts. "If I understand correctly, Mom fell for you first, and then Aunt Kyou fell for you while working on putting the two of you together."

"That's so weird…" I mused. "They both talked to me so normally in school…as much as I remember, at least. Fuji-" I coughed at the brief regression. "Your mom was always a timid one, stuttering when she'd talk to me. I always thought she got bolder due to marrying your dad, but maybe…"

"She might have always been that bold except when it came to you," Mika suggested quietly. "She's never talked to me about that."

"And Kyou was so aggressive when talking to me, but I eventually found out why," I said, thinking back to when she had stayed with Ushio and I. "I guess I was pretty dense when it came to women."

"You were a teenager, Okazaki-sama," Mika said, resting a hand on my arm. "It's not fair for us girls to expect you guys to pick up on these things. I mean, at that age you're dealing with your own development and the testosterone and all that, right?"

I chuckled, not at her insight, but how she expressed it. "That's true; thanks for being so understanding of my kind."

"It's like we expect you to be adults even though we start developing sooner than you do-"

"All right, Mika," I interrupted, feeling a little bite to my pride. "I get your point."

She ducked her head meekly. "I'm sorry if I was out-of-line."

"Don't worry about it."

After that, we ate in silence for a little while, occasionally making a comment about the weather or about the other park patrons.

I caught her watching a group of small children play while their mothers watched, and I leaned over with a grin. "You want to go play with them?" I teased.

"I want one."

The grin fell from my face, though I tried to force it back. "That'd be kidnapping, you know."

"What? No, I mean I want to have kids of my own; that's why I want to hold off on university and a career."

I sighed at my own stupidity; I really should have known better. "Sorry, Mika; I was just teasing you…or trying to."

"I don't mind," she said, returning her attention to her meal. "If I want to be your wife then I'll have to get used to these kinds of things, right?"

"S-Sure," I said; how could she say stuff like that without being embarrassed? "You…You never answered my question, you know. Why are you so interested in someone like me?"

"Actually, I did," she replied, glancing cautiously up at me. "I like your courage when it came to the surgery, you've been sacrificial with Ushio-san, and you've been extremely patient with me."

That's right; she had told me, hadn't she?

"I didn't finish answering how I knew all that I know, though." She sighed heavily. "Okay, this is going to be really embarrassing, but please don't make fun of me, okay?"

"I won't," I promised.

She sighed heavily again. "This goes back about ten years…"

My eyebrows jumped but I kept my mouth shut.

"I saw you for the first time after you got custody of Ushio-san again. I was about six or seven and was visiting Aunt Kyou at the school where she worked at the time."

I remembered those days; I was still pulling myself together after Nagisa's death but wanted to be a part of my daughter's life. Kyou was still giving me crap, just like she had in school. So she'd liked me then, too? Huh.

"I remember her talking badly to you when you picked up Ushio-san and asked her about it afterward; I wanted to know if you were someone I should stay away from."

"That's understandable," I said supportively.

"She told me that you were a great guy; it's just that she'd gotten so used to teasing you that she couldn't help herself," she said, glancing away. "I didn't know until later that she liked you."

"I see."

"When I asked Mom about you, that's when I found out that she liked you in high school, as well as why." She started tracing circles on the blanket again. "I guess I kinda formed the idea of my ideal guy based on what they told me about you."

"Thanks."

"The last time I saw you, I was eight," she continued. "That was when you met Dad for the first time. Mom had told me that your wife had died, and I was sad; if you were such a neat guy, why did something so bad happen to you? Anyway, when I saw you that time, I kinda…developed a, uh…" she trailed off, huffing in frustration several times as she lightly smacked her thighs. "I developed a crush on you."

"And you held onto that for ten years?" I asked carefully.

"Yeah," she sniffled. "Stupid, huh?"

I thought for a moment. "I'm not going to judge," I decided. "Like I said before; you can love who you want to."

"And I want to love you, so I do," she said, meeting my gaze and, once again, I was stunned into silence by the intensity in her eyes. "Even though I don't understand what it feels like, I do understand that you miss your wife," she told me. "In spite of that – or maybe because of it – I want to be there for you. I'm not so silly that I think I could take away your pain, but…" she gestured at me with an expression of helplessness. "I want to do what I can."

"But why?"

She studied my face for a moment before chuckling sadly. "You really can't accept good things for yourself, can you? I already told you why; I love you."

"But-"

"Mika!" We jumped in surprise at the sudden intrusion, and I saw several girls heading our way. "Hey, we didn't expect to see you here!"

"Sakura!" Mika cried before jumping to her feet and hugging the red-haired newcomer. "What are you doing here?"

"This is a public park," another girl said, this one with short, blue hair. "We can come here if we want to."

"That's not what I meant," Mika huffed.

"Sachi, don't pick on her," said a short girl with long, black hair, and the greenest eyes I'd ever seen. "You know she's just happy to see us."

Sachi simply 'humphed' as she adjusted her glasses.

A blue-eyed girl with long, blonde hair plopped down next to me on the blanket. "Hi, I'm Alice!" she chirped with an accent that reminded me of Pastor Jeff's.

"H-Hi," I greeted, a little overwhelmed by her exuberance. "Nice to meet you."

"Sorry about my accent," she lamented dramatically. "I'm an exchange student from England."

"Nice to meet you," I repeated, still recovering from my surprise.

"Are you on a date with Mika?" she asked, leaning in toward me.

"Alice!" Mika exclaimed as she hurried over to my new seatmate and started pulling her to her feet. "Give him some room! He doesn't know you!"

"Afraid she's gonna take him from you?" Sakura teased.

"With this spread, I don't think anyone will be taking him from her," Sachi noted as she appeared to study our meal.

"Well, are you going to introduce your boyfriend to us?" Sakura said as she threw an arm around Mika.

The poor girl stammered, probably trying to explain the situation without embarrassing me, so I got to my feet and bowed slightly. "I'm Okazaki Tomoya; it's good to meet you all. Are you Mika's friends?"

"Whoa," another girl said, one that I hadn't noticed yet. "That is such a manly voice; I can die happy now, thanks."

I felt suddenly self-conscious, but was determined to be the grownup. "Thank you very much, but I think your family would miss you."

"You're probably right," she said with a giggle. "I'm Kinuko; it's a pleasure to meet you."

"Thank you," I replied, ducking my head in a slight bow. "Kinuko, huh? That's a pretty-" I cut myself off as I remember what Ushio had told me about saying nice things about girls as a handsome man. I didn't think I was much to look at, but… "That's a nice name."

It didn't stop her from blushing, if even a little. "Th-Thank you."

"Wh-What are you all doing today?" Mika asked, obviously trying to redirect her friends' attention away from me.

"Tch. She's obviously trying to redirect our attention away fr-" Sachi started to say before being interrupted with an elbow from one of the other girls.

"We've just been out today," Sakura, the apparent spokesman, announced. "After school, we met up at Yukiko's house since she's been sick."

"Oh, that's right!" Mika exclaimed. "How's she doing?"

"She's better," the red-haired girl told her. "I guess her allergies hit her really hard this time."

"That's too bad," Mika said sympathetically. "I'll try to stop by her place tomorrow."

As I listened to the girls talk I started feeling like an outsider. Not like an outsider in the usual sense; I knew that one could feel excluded simply due to not being 'in the know' like the situation with Mika's sick friend, but more like…I was from a different world…which made sense when I thought about it. After all, Mika and the others would be starting their lives once they left high school, while I was already well into mine, not to mention the life I'd wasted while in school. I envied them, in a way.

"Mika, it looks like your date's feeling left out." I snapped out of my thoughts to the sound of the blue-haired, spectacled girl's voice…'Sachi' if I remembered correctly, and I looked up to see her studying me with an amused look.

"I'm fine," I said politely; damn if that girl wasn't perceptive. "I went into my own world while you were talking."

"Hey, that's kinda rude, don't you think?" the 'whoa' girl objected as she moved to stand before me, and I could see annoyance in her blue eyes, partly covered by pink bangs. "You're on a date, and you're off in your own world? Seriously?"

"I think it's perfectly fine," I told her. "I'm glad your friend is doing okay, but I don't know her so I don't have anything to contribute to your conversation. I meant no offense."

She blinked up at me a couple of times before turning back to Mika. "I think he's perfect for you, hon," she said. "He talks a lot like you."

"That's because he's not a high-schooler, Uta," Sachi said. "Take a close look at his eyes."

"Sachi!" Mika protested.

I tried to not feel self-conscious as the pink-haired girl examined my face. "Wow, he looks so young, but his eyes…" She blinked up at me a couple more times, this time with a puzzled look. "You do look…older."

"I've…been through a lot," I admitted, not wanting to embarrass Mika by revealing my age.

"No shit," Sachi said with a sly grin, and I realized that she was testing me, apparently hoping to trigger my parental reflex.

I knew better, though; "Please don't talk like that in front of my date," I requested politely, internally smirking as hers disappeared.

"S-Sorry, Mika," the now-flustered smarty-pants stammered.

"I-It's okay," she replied while giving me a look of understanding. "We all slip every once in a while."

"If you don't mind me asking," Sakura said, approaching me, "how old are you?"

I had to think fast, and my brain didn't let me down this time. "I'm sorry, but I'm not comfortable giving that kind of information to people I don't know," I said as gently as my racing heart would allow.

"That's okay…" Alice said, then gave me a cheeky grin before turning back to the other girls. "We'll just get Mika to tell us later!"

As the other girls squealed and cheered, I gave Mika an apologetic look, to which she responded with an understanding smile.

"You okay? " I asked as we settled back onto the blanket, the other girls giggling their way to another activity. "They were pretty rough on you."

"I'm all right," she giggled. "They took me by surprise, but…they're like that at school. I think they're just jealous that I'm with a boy."

"But I'm not…" I started, then realized what she meant. "Right…gotcha."

She giggled again as she patted my knee and, oddly enough, I noticed her outfit for the first time since we got together. She had on a blue denim skirt that covered her to her knees, and a small, matching denim vest over a white long-sleeved shirt. It went really well with the purple of her hair as well as her blue eyes…I coughed as I felt another twinge in my chest.

"I'm sure they'll give me trouble on Monday," she was saying, "but it won't last long; someone will start talking about some crush and this will be forgotten."

"That's good," I managed to reply. "I'd hate to cause problems for you."

"You're not causing any problems for me," she giggled. "If anything, I'm causing problems for you."

"You're not-" I started to say reflexively until I saw her knowing smile. "Thank you for your consideration."

"You're welcome!" she chirped, beaming. "Now, where were we…? Oh, that's right! We were talking about how great you are!"

"That must have been a one-sided, short, and boring conversation," I quipped with a slight grin.

She didn't appear amused, though, as her face fell. "You know, I wish you'd stop saying stuff like that about yourself," she said quietly, glancing up at me repeatedly.

"Sorry," I said. "Force of habit."

"We'll work on that," she said, her smile returning as she took my chopsticks to pick up a pork cutlet and hold it up before me. "In the meantime, say 'ah'…"

"Mika…" I sighed, then chuckled in resignation and let her put the food in my mouth; it was delicious, of course.

She giggled before her expression turned serious again. "Listen…thank you for calling me your 'date' earlier."

I considered my words carefully. "Well, it is technically true that you are my date; after all, we are on a date, so…you're my date." It sounded stupid, but it was the best I could do.

"Oh! That's right!" she clapped. "I need to finish embarrassing myself." At my puzzled look she giggled again. "Hopefully we won't be interrupted again. So where was I…? I saw you at Aunt Kyou's school when I was six…crush at eight-oh, yeah! After I saw you with Ushio-san I'd think about you every so often." She started drawing circles on the blanket again. "I probably idealized you from then until I saw you at the school. When you were there to have lunch with Ushio-san?" she finished, apparently trying to jog my memory.

"So that's why you seemed to recognize me," I realized. "At the time, I thought your behavior was a little strange; I just chalked it up to not understanding the teenage mind."

She suddenly seemed to shrink, almost sinking into the blanket. "When I saw your face, I guess the eight-year-old girl with the crush came back," she told me with a blush.

I smiled affectionately at the awkward girl. "Well, it's certainly understandable; your last memory was a, uh…good one, so it's understandable."

"You really think so?" she asked quietly.

"Sure," I replied, nodding a couple of times. "You have a positive association with…me…" Man, this was awkward. "…so those feelings would naturally come back once you saw me again."

"I guess you're right," she said, lifting her gaze to me again. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

"Anyway, after I saw you in your school uniform I talked to Mom again, and I started to see – recognize, really – the traits that she liked about you."

I furrowed my forehead. "After one interaction?"

"It took time," she admitted. "I also asked Ushio-san about you while helping her get used to the school, and she helped fill out a lot of gaps in my memory. She told me about how you lost your wife and couldn't raise her for her first five years, but she also told me how much love you poured on her after getting her back."

"Y-Yeah…" I said, not wanting to remember those days.

"She told me about how mean Aunt Kyou was to you, but how you put up with it for her sake. And after she did…what she did…she told me about that, too."

I felt my face start to heat up; did Mika know everything about me?

"When I heard about how you handled all of those bad situations, I wanted to help you; I thought it was so unfair what you had to go through so I decided that I would do what I could to make life easier for you, even if I couldn't do much."

"So that's why you started making dinners for me, huh?" I was starting to get the fuller picture.

"Yeah, but honestly…?" She had started tracing circles again. "Falling in love with you wasn't part of the plan."

"It took you by surprise, too?"

She nodded with a bashful expression. "It just kinda happened, but I finally realized it when our game of cards got a little out-of-hand."

"I…had my suspicions after that happened," I admitted. "And…while it was awkward for me as well, I still want to thank you for being so upfront about your feelings."

"You're welcome," she replied quietly. "Dad always said that openness and honesty were the best ways to approach life; hiding just causes too many complications. And after seeing what I've seen in high school, I can see how right he was." She blinked a couple of times. "That sounded funny; 'see'…'see'…'see'…"

I chuckled appreciatively. "Your dad's a great guy," I said, thinking of the Hiiragi patriarch with no small amount of admiration. "I have a lot of respect for the way he thinks."

"He thinks highly of you, too," she giggled. "He understands that you've learned a lot from him, but he's said that he's learned a lot from you, too."

"I can't image what," I scoffed. "He's done so much more with his life than I have."

"You both have perseverance, Okazaki-sama," she said, resting a hand on my knee. "If your shoulder hadn't been injured, I'll bet you would've gone far in basketball. Yeah, you need your shoulder for that, but you also need drive, don't you?"

"That's true," I admitted; I'd never thought of that before.

We ate the rest of our meal while enjoying the sounds of the park; children playing in the distance, as well as the occasional breeze that rustled the leaves.

"That was really good," I said before having to suppress a burp. "'Scuse me."

"I'm glad you enjoyed it," she giggled, then her expression turned serious. "You know, you could have this every day from now on, if you wanted."

It didn't take a genius to understand what she was getting at. "I know, Mika, but it doesn't change my thoughts on the matter; I still think you should find someone more your age."

"I understand," she replied. "But that doesn't change my feelings about you."

"Then it sounds like we're at an impasse," I said with a wry grin.

"I don't see it as a competition," she said as she shook her head. "I see it as a challenge, sure, but…" She drew a lock of hair over her ear, and I cursed myself for following the motion with my eyes. "The challenge is more to myself, to see if I'd make a good wife for you." She looked around at the spread on the blanket. "Have you eaten enough? There's still a little bit left."

"I'm good, thanks," I replied, patting my full tummy. "Need to watch my girlish figure."

She openly laughed, throwing her head back, and I enjoyed the-STOP! "That's another thing I love about you; your sense of humor."

"Th-That makes one of us," I quipped while recovering from my lapse of judgment. "L-Let me help you pack things up."

"Thank you."

It took a while, but we finally packed up all the containers back into the basket and started toward the park's gate.

"We never did get to use the Frisbee," Mika lamented.

"At least you got to see your friends though, right?" I pointed out.

"That's true; it was great seeing them, even if they were embarrassing."

"I'm not sure how to ask this, but…what do you have in common with them? I don't think you're a snob or anything, but why do you hang out with them? You seem…better than them?"

"I think I understand," she said, laughing. "We've been friends for years, most of us since fifth or sixth grade."

"That's a long time."

"Yeah, we've been through a lot together," she said, her eyes getting a faraway look. "Really, I'm just glad we've been able to stick together this long."

"That's true; it is hard to go to the same schools for that long," I remembered. "For what it's worth, I'm happy for you."

"Thank you," she said, glancing up at me with a fond smile and creeping me out yet again. "I think we've learned to appreciate each others' differences…and use them sometimes."

I snorted in amusement, nearly dropping the basket. "I can imagine." Then it hit me: "You don't think they might get jealous if you marry before they do, do you?"

"They probably would," she replied matter-of-factly. "But I can't let other people run my life. Influence it, sure, but I'm the one who ultimately has to live with the consequences of my choices."

"Like pursuing an older man?"

"We'll all be pursuing older men," she huffed, "it'll just be a matter of degree."

I realized that she had a point and admitted as such. "Don't you think eighteen years is a bit much, though? Do you really expect them to understand?"

"I think they'd accept you once they got to know you," she replied. "After all, they're the ones who pointed out how mature I seem compared to other girls my age, so I don't think they'd be too surprised."

"That's…good?"

I heard her laugh again before she gave my arm a gentle squeeze. "You don't need to worry about them, Okazaki-sama; I'm the one you need to worry about, remember?"

"I haven't forgotten," I said with a grin.

We walked in silence for a bit before she spoke again. "Would you be willing to see me off at the train station?"

"Of course," I replied easily. "What kind of date would I be if I just went 'Welp, see yer'?"

She giggled again…and then took hold of my arm.

"I'm drawing the line there, though," I warned her. "Please let go of me."

"Oh! I'm sorry!" she squeaked, nearly jumping away from me. "I acted before I thought."

"I forgive you," I said calmly; remarkable in light of the sudden jump in my heart rate.

We arrived at the train station and Mika took a seat on one of the many benches while we waited. "I had a really good time, Okazaki-sama."

"Good," I replied. "Listen… You can change the '-sama' to '-san' if you want; You've done so much for us that I don't think it's right for you to feel like you have to address me so…reverently."

I was more than a little surprised at how red her face became, and how quickly. "R-Really? It'd be okay?"

"Well…now I'm not so sure," I said, feigning a look of cautiousness before resolving it into an amused grin. "Seriously, it's fine; you're the only one – other than one of Ushio's friends – that's ever used that honorific with me."

"I'll…keep that in mind; thank you," she managed as a train pulled in. "That's…That's my train."

"Then here you go," I said offering a hand to help her up as I picked up the basket with the other. "And here you go," I added, handing her the basket once she was on her feet.

"You're so funny," she giggled as she adjusted the basket on her arm. Then she looked up at me with the softest expression I'd ever seen. "Enjoy the rest of your evening, Okazaki-sama," she said, reaching out to my chest before quickly jerking her hand back. "Good night."

"Good night, Mika," I returned warmly.

She turned to board the train, only to abruptly turn back to me. "Can I tell you something before I go?" she asked, gesturing for me to duck my head down. I obliged, turning my ear toward her only to feel a soft pressure on my cheek. " _I love you,"_ she whispered before hurrying onto the train.

I returned her wave with a smile and a shake of my head as the train pulled away. "She got me good, didn't she?" I murmured to no one in particular as I touched the spot where she'd kissed me. "Well, I'd better get home." With that, I headed toward home and away from one of the most stressful days of my life.

* * *

"Welcome home, Daddy!" Ushio greeted as I entered our apartment.

"Thanks," I replied, and I noticed the weariness in my own voice as I swapped my outdoor for my indoor shoes.

"How did your da-your time with Mika-senpai go?"

"It was all right," I replied as I plopped down next to her at my spot at the kotatsu. "She made a truckload of food, she told me why she…you know…"

Thankfully my daughter just gave me an understanding nod.

"…some of her friends found us and bothered her for a while, then we finished dinner and I saw her off at the train station. Then I came home," I finished, leaning back on my hands.

"Did she…give you any trouble?"

"Nah; the closest she got was telling me why she…she likes me."

"She's so brave," Ushio said with clear admiration. "I don't think I could ever do something like that."

I chose to keep my mouth shut rather than remind her of her actions that led to…yeah. Not edifying. "You have to admire a person who knows what she wants and goes for it, that's for sure."

"For sure," she echoed.

Any further conversation with interrupted by the ringing of my cellphone. "Do you mind if I take this? It might be Mika's dad."

"No, go ahead," she said. "I'm glad you had a good time."

I thanked her as I pulled out my phone and quickly checked the screen; sure enough, it was Kappei. "This is Okazaki; hey, Kappei."

" _Okazaki!"_ his voice boomed, and I had to hold the phone away from my ear for a moment. _"Is my daughter on her way home? I just realized that we hadn't made any arrangements."_

"Oh shoot, you're right," I said, my hand finding my forehead. "Sorry about that. Yeah, I saw her off at the train station about…" I checked the time. "…about fifteen minutes ago."

A longish pause. _"Did, uh…she give you any problems?"_

"No, not really,' I told him as I glanced at Ushio, who appeared to be working on her homework. "The most uncomfortable thing was when she told me why she likes me."

" _That was probably a relief, in a way, huh?"_

"Yeah, at least I have a better idea of how to chase her away," I said, then shared a chuckle with him. "Seriously, man; you and Ryou have raised a great girl. She's going to make some lucky guy really happy."

" _That was the plan!"_ he exclaimed. _"And thanks for the praise. Hey, listen; do you and your daughter have anything planned for tomorrow morning?"_

"I don't. Ushio, do you have anything planned for tomorrow morning?"

"No," she replied, looking up from her papers. "Why?"

"Hang on," I said, then switched my attention back to the phone. "Neither of us have anything planned. What's up?"

" _Well, Ryou and the kids and I will be going to Jeff's church service tomorrow at ten, and Ryou thought you might like to come."_

I'd never been to a temple before, let alone a western church. Nagisa and I didn't marry in a temple, after all; we'd just had a government official sign off on our marriage paperwork. "Well…" I looked back to my daughter. "The Hiiragis are inviting us to Pastor's Jeff's church. The service starts at ten. Would you be interested?"

"Sure!" she chirped. "Will Kyou-sensei be there, too?"

"I would assume so," I replied. "Kappei, will Kyou be there, too?"

" _Yup! She's been to every service since they got engaged."_

"She'll be there," I passed on to Ushio.

"Let's go, then!" she said, thrusting a fist into the air.

I chuckled at her excitement as I returned my attention to my phone again. "We'll be there. Ten, right?"

" _Right."_

"See you tomorrow, then."

" _We'll look forward to it!"_

I ended the call and set my phone down on the kotatsu. "Well, we're set. We should head out about nine-thirty to make sure we're not late."

"That sounds good," she said. "I'll make sure to wear my prettiest dress."

"Sound like a plan."

She gave me a huge smile. "And if Mika-senpai knows you're coming, she'll probably wear her prettiest dress, too!"

Damn.


	29. Congregating

**Chapter Twenty-Nine: Congregating**

I found myself walking down a long path that stretched into the distance, seemingly to infinity. The sky was a deep, rich blue, though it would turn cloudy and gray every so often. There were no buildings or road signs to be seen anywhere. I didn't know why, but I was forced to walk at the same pace, neither speeding up or slowing down. I walked alone and, oddly enough, I was missing my right arm.

After walking for a really long time, another path intersected with mine, and a girl with brown, shoulder-length hair started walking beside me, and the path widened just enough for the two of us. She had a warm, calming, and timid presence about her, and I felt happy and safe.

We hadn't walked for long before a baby appeared in my arms, but the brown-haired girl disappeared from my side at almost the same time, and then the baby disappeared from my arms, and I felt my heart stop and I stopped walking, though I continued to move forward, as though on a conveyor belt. The path stayed the same width as I moved alone.

I moved without walking for a long time before another brown-haired girl appeared next to me; she was short and had short brown hair under a blue and white hat, and even though I felt uncomfortable around her I started to walk slowly and felt my heart start beating again; I still moved forward at the same speed as before, though. As we walked she got taller and taller, becoming more and more beautiful, more full of life, and she started to glow, like the sun on a spring day. As she grew, her hair got longer and longer until it reached the small of her back. She was my life.

Another path intersected with ours, and a girl who was a little taller than the brown-haired girl and had long, purple hair came from the side and walked with us, on the other side of the brown-haired girl. She had a warm, calming yet bubbly presence about her, and I felt happy and safe; for some reason she appeared to me as three girls. While we continued to walk she somehow gave me nourishment, and I felt a twitch in my shoulder and held up my right hand, which had somehow regrown along with my arm.

Eventually the purple-haired girl stopped us and held out her hand toward me, and I realized I had a choice; I could move on, leaving the purple-haired girl behind, or I could take her hand and allow her to continue on the path with us. I knew, though, that if I took her hand that she would walk between me and the brown-haired girl from that point on, which made me uncomfortable.

I chose to move on; I had the brown-haired girl, who was my sunshine, so I didn't need the purple-haired girl, who made me healthy yet uncomfortable.

The purple-haired girl disappeared and I walked with the brown-haired girl a little longer before she disappeared, leaving me alone on the path, which then narrowed. I stopped walking but continued moving forward, just as before. This time, however, the path started to narrow further, and it became difficult to stay in the middle of the path.

Without warning, the path abruptly came to an end at a cliff, and I tumbled over its edge, and I somehow knew that I would fall forever…

* * *

I woke up with a groan, and I reached for my head to stop the pounding that greeted me. "Ugh, that was weird…"

I felt a little dizzy as I got out of bed, likely due to the falling sensation from the end of the dream, and I leaned against the wall for a moment to wait for the room to stop lurching. I then felt a slight twinge of panic and quickly lifted my right hand to see that I did, in fact, have a right hand and arm. I then grunted as I pushed myself from the wall and headed to the door to my room, opening it and heading down the hallway.

"Good morning, Daddy!" Ushio greeted as she came out of the bathroom.

"Ugh," I returned. "Sorry, sweetie; rough night."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that," she replied gently. "Did you have a bad dream?"

"Sort of." I shook my head and immediately had to lean against the wall as the room suddenly lurched; lesson learned. "No, it was…more like a weird dream that was kinda sad."

"I'm sorry to hear that," she repeated. "Well, I'm done in here, so I'll work on breakfast, okay? You remember that we're going to the church with Mika-senpai and her family, right?"

"I haven't forgotten," I said, giving my head an experimental shake and found that it was safe to move around again. "I'll get ready as fast as I can."

"Okay." She beamed at me before skipping down the hallway toward the kitchen.

I entered the bathroom and immediately splashed cold water on my face, which seemed to help with the remaining dizziness, and then studied my dripping face in the mirror. "What was that all about?" I said, thinking back on what I could recall of the dream. It was pretty obvious that it was describing my relationships with Nagisa, Ushio, and Mika, but I wasn't sure what, if anything, to do with or about it. "Well, I'll be seeing Pastor Jeff today; maybe I could ask him about it."

I splashed some more cold water on my face before drying it and heading from the bathroom to the living room, where Ushio was just settling into her seat. "Whenever you're ready," she said.

I grunted into my seat and put my hands together with her. "Thanks for the food."

We ate a quiet breakfast, cleaned up, and headed to the door to change our shoes. Once we were ready, we headed out.

I could feel Ushio's gaze on me frequently as we walked to Pastor Jeff's church. "Are you sure you're okay?" she finally asked. "You seem really upset this morning."

I tried to send her a reassuring smile, but her unchanging expression told me that I'd failed. "Don't worry about it, sweetie. I'm going to try to talk to Pastor Jeff about it and see if he can help me make sense of it…assuming any sense needs to be made."

"Okay," she said, her voice still showing concern.

I chuckled lightly as I reached out to ruffle her hair. "Don't worry about me, sweetie; I'll be fine."

"Okay," she repeated, finally letting a smile spread.

We arrived at the church to find several people out front, happily chatting in several small groups. We exchanged polite greetings with several of them before making our way into the familiar building. Once inside, a gentleman who appeared to be in his early sixties handed us a small pamphlet. "This bulletin will tell you about the church, as well as some local events," he explained before pointing to a set of double-doors nearby. "And the service is held in the sanctuary just through there."

"Um, thanks," I said, then passed the bulletin to Ushio as we entered the main room.

I wasn't sure what to expect from a western-style church, but I was still surprised to see a large room with stained-glass windows on the far side; one of them showed a bearded man speaking to a group of people, while the next showed him in front of some kind of plus-sign-shaped structure, and I assumed that the images had something to do with Pastor Jeff's religion. Looking around the room, I saw that long tables were spread around the room, with several chairs surrounding each of them.

I found the Hiiragis already seated at one of the tables. "Okazaki!" Kappei called as he waved us over. "Come sit with us!"

I exchanged a smile with Ushio before leading her over to the table; sure enough, two seats seemed to be waiting for us.

"Okazaki-senpai," Tadashi said, addressing my daughter, "would you please sit next to me? I would like to talk with you about your time at Hikarizaka, if we have the chance."

Ushio looked to me for permission, so I gave her a nod and she took a seat next to the third-year middle-schooler, at one end of the table. Satisfied, I sighed as I took the back of the remaining chair, and-

"Good morning, Okazaki-sama."

I froze mid-motion, the fact finally registering that the seating arrangement would put me next to...I sighed again as I took my seat. "Good morning, Mika."

"I'm very glad that you could-"

"Glad you could make it this morning!" Kappei greeted enthusiastically, drowning out his daughter's voice; he must have not heard her speaking, which made sense since he was on her other side and probably couldn't hear her talking to me. On his other side and opposite Mika sat Ryou, with Tadashi next to her.

"Thank you…both," I replied, directing the latter part of my sentence to the teen-aged girl. "Have you been here before?"

"No, this is our first time," Ryou replied, drawing my attention. "Kyou's been asking us to come, but our schedules haven't allowed it. After one of the other nurses reminded me that I'm the Head Nurse…" She giggled, and I smiled as I realized what she was getting at. "I'll be going in later today."

"I'll bet Kyou's happy about that," I remarked.

"As far as we know, she doesn't know we're here," Kappei interjected. "Should be a nice surprise."

I smiled at his words in agreement as I glanced at my daughter to see her and Tadashi happily chatting. Maybe if the two of them got together then Mika couldn't… No; I wouldn't use my daughter to get out of my own predicament.

"Okazaki-sama, do you like my dress?"

I hid my grimace as I reluctantly shifted my attention to the Hiiragi girl. Since she was seated I couldn't see her full outfit, but I could see that she had on a blue dress that matched the color of her hair and her eyes quite nice- I coughed.

"Are you okay?" she asked with a concerned look in her beautiful ey- I coughed again.

"I'm fine," I said, feeling my face heat up. "My throat's a little dry." It wasn't a lie, at least.

"I'll get you some water." Before I could protest she was up and heading away, the back of her dress swaying with the movement of her- DAMN! Three times?

"Thanks," I croaked at her retreating form before burying my face in my hands.

"You okay, Okazaki?" Kappei asked.

"I dunno," I replied honestly. "I'm doing my best, but if you two don't do something about her I'm going to end up your-"

"Heeeeeyyyyyy!" a familiar voice rang out, hopefully saving me from further embarrassment. "You made it!"

"Hey, Kyou!" Kappei greeted as his whole family looked to the newcomer, thankfully giving me time to work on pulling myself together. "Sorry to take so long!"

"We wanted to surprise you," Ryou explained.

"Well, you did!" Kyou chirped. "Hold on; let me grab an extra chair and I'll sit with you." Before anyone could say anything else, she was off like a shot.

"I'm glad to see Aunt Kyou so happy," Tadashi remarked, looking to his dad. "From what you and Mom have said, she's overdue for some happiness."

"Move over, Tomoya," Kyou ordered as she suddenly appeared between my daughter and I, chair in hand. "I want to sit next to Shio-chan, but I can see she's been talking with Tadashi."

I grunted in mild annoyance as I scooted my chair over, then grunted again as I realized that I would end up even closer to Mika.

My gruntings were justified, as I was sure I heard a quiet squeal just before a cup of water was placed before me and Mika reclaimed her seat. "H-Here you go, Okazaki-sama; I hope this helps."

"Thank you," I grunted yet again as I took up the cup and worked on emptying its contents.

"You're welcome," she replied, and even though I wasn't looking at her I just knew that she was blushing lightly.

A couple of minutes later I saw Pastor Jeff step to the front of the room. "Good morning, everyone. Before we get started; are there any announcements that need to be made?"

A few people stood up and talked about some event going on at some school or event hall, and I assumed that it had to do with their kids or grandkids or something like that. I would have liked to have paid better attention to them, but the sensation of Mika repeatedly brushing up against my arm and shoulder was distracting me. "I'm sorry; could you scoot down a little bit?" I finally whispered to her.

"Sure," she whispered back with a puzzled look as she honored my request.

Fortunately, I was able to get focused just in time for a very important announcement as the pastor started speaking again. "Well, I suppose it's no secret that Fujibayashi Kyou and I have been seeing each other for while now. What you may not know is that Kyou and I have decided to end that relationship."

I sat up straighter in alarm as I heard several gasps from the audience. I thought he'd proposed and she'd accepted?

"Aw Jeff, stop messing with them," Kyou called from her spot next to me.

"Woman, you're spoiling my fun," he said with a grin. "All right, folks; sorry if I worried you. The truth is that we've decided on a date for our wedding and would like to invite you all there."

I wasn't the only one who breathed a sigh of relief.

"When is it?" an excited female voice asked.

"August 13th," Kyou replied, turning toward the voice. "It's a Saturday."

"That soon?" another voice asked, this one male.

"We're not planning anything extravagant," Pastor Jeff explained. "I'm fifty-one, and Kyou is…is…" It was obvious that he didn't want to reveal her age.

"…eager to become his wife," Kyou finished with a smile, causing the audience to chuckle. "We'll have a simple ceremony and a reception with food and stuff afterward."

"Kyou-san?" A gray-haired woman who appeared to be in her late sixties stood up. "If the two of you would be okay with it, some of us would like to make your wedding…more extravagant."

I looked back to my old sparring partner to see her exchanging a glance with her fiancé. "I…suppose… Should we talk with them after the service?"

"Let's do that," he replied with a nod. "I'll admit that part of the reason we weren't going extravagant was because of time and resources, but…" he looked back to the lady, who was still standing. "Thank you for the offer, Saitou-san; let's get together after the service, okay? Will that work?"

"Certainly," she replied before taking her seat again.

"Great!" he said with a clap of his hands. "If there's nothing else…? Then let's open with prayer." He held out his hands, palms upward, and I saw a lot of other people do the same so I copied them, more to not feel left out than anything. "Lord Jesus, thank you for this time where we can come together and worship you. Help each of us to remember that you are always with us, no matter the circumstances, and lead and guide us with your grace and wisdom. Let your will be done."

"Let your will be done," the audience repeated.

I opened my eyes and looked to the pastor to see him lowering his hands as he smiled and started toward our table. He changed course, however, when someone called out his name, and headed over to another table and sat in one of the available chairs.

"That was pretty cool," Kappei remarked as he looked over at his sister-in-law. "So…what do we do know?"

Kyou gave us a warm smile, which looked kinda weird to me since I wasn't used to seeing her so…happy? "Well, we can talk about pretty much whatever we want, like a family. We usually talk about how we think god might be working in our lives…" She looked around at us, "…but I get that might not work for you….yet. We pray for each other, and-" She cut herself off as a nearby group started to sing. "Yeah, that; we sing songs to and about God."

"Why sing to him?" Ushio asked. "Does he get power from it or something?"

"No, no," she chuckled. "Worshipping and praising him are for our benefit, not his. I'm not sure I understand it all just yet, but since we're separated from God, singing to him helps us to remember him when we're not in church."

"It is like studying hard before a test?" Tadashi asked.

"Sort of," she replied. "In this case, church is the study time, and life is the test."

Tadashi's eyebrows jumped. "I think I understand. Thank you."

"You're welcome." She ran her fingers through her hair as she studied us again. "I guess for visitors like you, maybe asking if you have anything you need help with would be a good start. Anyone need any help with life?"

I reflexively wanted to bring up the situation with Mika, but with her right there that would be more than a little awkward so I kept my mouth shut.

"I suppose…" I heard Ryou start, drawing my attention.

"What is it?" Kyou asked.

"I've been having trouble with a couple of the nurses under me," she explained. "One of them seems to have a problem with my authority, and the other makes a lot of mistakes; I think she's distracted because she's scared."

"Hm." Kyou pushed her mouth to one side, apparently considering her sister's situation. "I think Jeff would say that you need to be shown how to lead both strong-willed and timid people…"

"Ouch," Ryou said, ducking her head.

"Huh?" Kyou blinked out of her train-of-thought. "Oh, I didn't mean anything bad by that, Ryou! Because of my past, for example, I've have to learn how to interact with people…with this being an example."

"Oh," her sister replied with an understanding nod.

I was impressed; Kyou had grown so much since high school. I knew that she'd have to, just like the rest of us, but… "You've changed, Kyou."

"How so?" she asked as she drew a lock of hair over her ear.

"You seem…hm." I suddenly found myself at a loss for words. "The closest I could come is 'calmer', but I don't think that's exactly it."

"I think I get it," she said with a knowing smile. "I used to be pretty wild, even when I was with Sato, but now…yeah. I feel more secure now, like I'm where I'm supposed to be."

"Yeah, I hear you," Kappei chimed in. "It's like when one of my runners hits his stride; the run becomes much easier, smoother."

"I'm not sure I get your analogy, but it sounds good," she replied with a shrug. "I'd have to think about it more, I guess."

"I admit to being anxious about my chances of getting into Hikarizaka," Tadashi offered. "With respect, Aunt, I'm not sure what your god can do about that, but I'm willing to give it – or him, I suppose – a try."

Kyou absently ran her fingers through her hair as she thought. "I think…we'd ask him to give you peace in your situation."

The middle-schooler briefly crossed his arms as he looked up in thought. "I…believe I understand."

She looked around the table before settling her gaze on me. "What about you, Tomoya?" she asked with a knowing look.

"No thanks," I said, holding my hands out defensively; I knew darn well why she was looking at me like that. "This is my first time here. And, to be honest, I don't trust that your god really cares about me since he let my old man bust my shoulder."

"Daddy…?" Ushio said hesitantly.

"But he could've been the one who gave you the resources to get it fixed," Kyou told me.

"Or he could have not let my old man bust it in the first place," I countered. "He could've also not let Nagisa die, for that mattter."

"Ouch." She studied me briefly before nodding sadly. "Fair enough, Tomoya; I think I get why you'd feel that way. You have had kind of a bum deal in life, haven't you?"

"That would be a bit of an understatement," I said, feeling bitter as I crossed my arms. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Mika studying me, causing me to feel self-conscious.

"Would…you at least be willing to pray along with us?" Kyou asked. "You wouldn't have to say anything; just be with the rest of us."

I sighed heavily; part of me really didn't trust some supposedly powerful guy I couldn't see, but another part of me considered the possibility that I was just being stubborn. Finally, I sighed again. "As long as I don't have to say anything, then fine. Sorry, I really don't mean to be a downer."

"Thank you, Daddy," my daughter said warmly, reminding me that she was watching my behavior. I felt even more self-conscious, so I sent a small smile her way to try to reassure her.

"Well, if there's nothing else…" Kyou looked around once more before reaching out with her hands, one toward Ushio and the other toward me. "We normally hold hands when we pray; I'll pray first, then squeeze Shio-chan's hand to let her know that I'm done. If she wants to pray, she can and then squeeze…" She trailed off as she apparently realized something. "Are you two going to be okay with holding hands?" she asked Ushio and Tadashi.

"I…think I'm fine," my daughter replied, blushing along with the Hiiragi boy.

"I am…not averse to the idea," Tadashi added. "I am just not…used to holding a girl's hand."

"Tomoya? You okay with your daughter holding a boy's hand?" she followed up.

I blinked several times before shrugging. "I don't have any reason to doubt his character." I thought a bit longer. "He's Kappei's and Ryou's boy, after all."

"Th-Thank you, Okazaki-sama," Tadashi stammered, his blush deepening.

"Hey, thanks for the vote of confidence!" Kappei said, sending a grin my way.

I returned his smile until I realized that…I would be holding Mika's hand. Suddenly I wasn't so comfortable with the idea.

Unfortunately I didn't have time to protest as Kyou took my and my daughter's hands. "Let's get started, then." I then watched as everyone else took each others' hands; even Ushio and Tadashi managed, though they blushed as they glanced at each other.

"Okazaki-sama?" I looked to my left to see Mika with her hand held out and a blush on her face. I gave Kappei and Ryou a cautious glance before taking her trembling hand in mine. Were it not for her feelings toward me I probably would have thought nothing of it.

Apparently satisfied that we were ready, Kyou bowed her head; I followed suit. "God, thank you for our time together. Thank you for bringing Tomoya and Shio-chan into my life. Please bless them in the coming week as they go to work and school, and help them be successful at whatever they do. Thank you again for bringing Jeff into my life; he's helped me in more ways than I could count and I thank you for him. Bless his health and his work. Let our upcoming marriage be another way you show your love to everyone."

I marveled at Kyou's manner of speaking until I heard my daughter's voice; Kyou must have been finished. "Um…thank you for my daddy." I then heard Tadashi yelp and smiled as I figured that she must have squeezed his hand a little too hard.

"P-Please help me with my subordinates," Ryou said with surprising confidence in spite of her stutter. "Show me how I can be a better supervisor to them."

"Good job, Ryou," I heard Kyou murmur quietly.

"I guess if you've got the time, show me how I can be a better coach," Kappei said, much to my surprise; I hadn't expected him to participate. "And, uh…if you could help Shino get over his injury, I'd be grateful."

He must have squeezed his daughter's hand, because I felt her suddenly twitch. "Please-" was all she got out before I felt her squeeze my hand. Since I wasn't interested in the activity, I went ahead and squeezed Kyou's hand.

"Thank you for hearing our prayers," Kyou said, apparently bringing things to a close, "including the ones that weren't said. Help us to be…edifying to each other and help us to grow, not just mentally and emotionally but spiritually as well." She seemed to pause, and I figured she was trying to figure out how to finish. "Let your will be done," she finally concluded. I heard everyone else at the table repeat her words, and then I felt Kyou release my hand as we opened our eyes. "Well, if there's anything anyone wants to talk about, go ahead," she prompted.

We ended up hearing about Tadashi's concern over the application process. "I think I'm just being irrational about it," he lamented.

"Hey, we're all entitled to be irrational every once in a while," I said half-jokingly. "Even we so-called adults do it."

"Speak for yourself," Kyou quipped with a teasing smile, which I returned.

"Kyou…I think being with Pastor Ashton has been very good for you," Ryou said. "I know we said you seem calmer, but…" She reached up to dab at her eyes. "I'm just so happy for you."

"Me, too," Kappei agreed. "I'll also be happy to get my house back."

"Kappei!" Ryou scolded while giving her husband's arm a whap. "How could you say that?"

"No, I get it," Kyou said, waving a dismissive hand. "Thanks for letting me crash with you. I'm just glad that I didn't have to move back in with Mom and Dad; that would have been embarrassing at my age."

"You know that none of us would have thought any less of you for it," Ryou said compassionately. "That man was simply horrible to you, and you needed time to pull yourself together."

"Well, thanks to Jeff – and then God – it didn't take as long as we thought it would," Kyou replied with a flip of her hair.

We chatted a little more before Pastor Jeff approached the front of the room again, this time to lead us in what he called the 'closing prayer': "Lord Jesus, thank you again for our time together. Bless us as we go our separate ways, and continue to lead and guide us in our daily lives. Let your will be done."

"Let your will be done," the audience again repeated.

"Hey Okazaki," Kappei said as we started to our feet, "we're heading out to lunch after this. Would you two like to join us? I can't treat this time," he added with a wink, "but you're more than welcome to join us."

"I dunno…" I said, grinning at him. "No free food? How am I supposed to freeload if-"

"Daddy!" Ushio gasped in a scolding tone. "We're not freeloaders! Please stop talking like that!"

"Take it easy, sweetie," I chuckled as I raised my hands defensively. "I'm just kidding. Kappei, we'd love to go."

"Great!" he exclaimed with a handclap. "After Kyou and her fiancé are done talking with their wedding planners we'll head out."

"All right," I acknowledged before turning to Ushio. "If you want to look around while we wait, I'm fine with that. I'm going to wander around a little bit myself."

"Okazaki-senpai," Tadashi interjected. "I have a few more questions, if you're willing to talk with me some more."

"Of course!" my daughter chirped. "What do you want to know?"

I smiled to myself as the two teens headed toward the exit, presumably to talk outside; it was a beautiful day, after all. As they left my line-of-sight I turned and headed toward the front of the room. Pastor Jeff wasn't there, but the two images that had caught my interest were.

The first one was unimpressive. It was as it had appeared me when I first saw it; a man addressing a large crowd. I wasn't sure what to make of it, so I moved to the second one, the one showing the man stuck to two pieces of wood attached in the shape of a 'plus sign'. It looked like he'd been mounted on the wooden structure, and it appeared as though his hands had been attached to the cross piece while his feet were attached to the center piece.

"Okazaki-sama? What are you looking at?"

I flinched as I looked to see that Mika had joined me. "Nothing important; I was just curious about these when I came in and wanted a closer look."

"I see," she said, moving next to me to look at the image of the man on the boards. "I think Aunt Kyou's talked about this; if I understand correctly, that man's being executed by being nailed to that…I think it's a cross."

"Hm." I studied the image again. It seemed odd that Pastor Jeff's religion would put a criminal at the front of the room. "Did she tell you why he was executed?"

"She did, but I had a hard time following it," she admitted. "I just know that he did it for us."

"Us?" That made little to no sense. "He committed a crime for us?"

"He died for us," a new yet familiar voice interjected, and Pastor Jeff stepped up to my other side. "I couldn't explain the whole thing in just a couple of sentences, but he took the punishment for all of our sins, every bad thing we've done or thought or will ever do or think." He gestured at the image. "That's him, taking the punishment we deserve."

"Sounds pretty far-fetched," I said, crossing my arms. "I mean, he lived a long time before we did, right?"

"…Yes and no," he replied ambiguously. "I'd be happy to tell you the story and give you all the details, but I wouldn't want to keep the Hiiragis waiting. Perhaps we could get together sometime this week and I can tell you all about it."

"Maybe," I said, still skeptical.

"Before we go, though, I'd like to show you something," he said. "We talk about Jesus' ministry and his death, but this is really what Christianity is all about." He led us to a small model that appeared to depict a boulder to one side of an opening to a cave. "Here it is."

"A rock and a cave?" I asked, puzzled.

"No no," he chuckled. "This represents the empty tomb that Jesus had initially been buried in. He rose to life again three days later." I started to open my mouth, but he raised a polite hand. "Again, I'd love to go into more detail, but we have people waiting for us. I just wanted to give you a better perspective about my faith."

"Fair enough," I grunted as Mika and I followed him to the church entrance.

"Sorry to keep you waiting," she said as we met up with the others.

"Don't worry about it, princess," Kappei said with his trademark smile.

"Are you ready to go, Daddy?" Ushio asked as she glanced between me and her upperclassman.

I smiled down at my little girl. "Yeah, sweetie; I'm ready."

As we followed Kappei and his family and Kyou and Pastor Jeff, I found myself glancing back at the church several times, unsure of what to do with what I'd just experienced.

* * *

Lunch was unusually uneventful, allowing us to enjoy a good meal with good company, and we ended up leaving the restaurant later than we thought we would.

"Dad, would it be okay for me to go to the Okazakis' place today?" Mika asked as we worked on going our separate ways.

"I don't mind if your mother doesn't," he replied before turning to his wife. "Any problems with it?"

"I'd like to know why she wants to go now," she replied. "After all, she normally wouldn't be going there until it's time to make dinner, which won't be for a few hours."

"I'd…just like to spend time with them."

"I don't mind as long as Tomoya-san doesn't," Ryou said as she gave me a sympathetic look.

"Well, Okazaki?" Kappei said, clapping me on the shoulder while giving me a knowing look. "You mind if my daughter invites herself over?"

"D-Dad!"

"I'd love to have her over," Ushio said before I could form a reply. "If you're willing, you could help me understand some of my homework."

"I'd be happy to!" the older teen exclaimed.

"Please, Daddy?" Ushio said while giving me her best puppy-dog eyes.

"I…all right, fine," I said. "I plan on reading in my room anyway, so…sure."

"Great!" Mika chirped, clapping her hands. "I'll help Ushio-san with her homework, then make dinner. Then we can eat together!"

"Sounds great!" Ushio chirped as well. "It's going to be so much fun!"

"Make sure to come home after dinner," Ryou admonished. "Remember that you have school tomorrow."

"I haven't forgotten, Mom," Mika said as she glanced at me repeatedly while blushing lightly. "I'll come home after dinner, I promise."

"All right then; have a good time," her mother told her.

The girls talked quietly to themselves as they followed me to the apartment, so I took the opportunity to go over my 'life checklist'; during lunch, Pastor Jeff had asked me to give him a call after dinner; he wanted to talk with me about the 'final session' he'd been working on setting up, so I made a mental note to take care of that. I'd forgotten to bring up the dream, so I added that to the list. I also needed to make a follow-up appointment with the hospital so my doctors could check on my progress, so I made another mental note to call the hospital during my lunch break on Monday. I sighed, satisfied that those were the only major events I had to worry about for the time being, though my situation with Mika meant that she could throw monkey wrenches in at any time.

We arrived home, and the girls waited patiently while I unlocked the door, and then we all went in. Shoes were exchanged, and they headed for Ushio's room while I headed to mine for some reading and, hopefully, a short nap.

I must have conked out while reading, because I was startled awake by a knock at my door. "Just a minute…" I mumbled as I got to my feet while rubbing some sand from my eyes.

"I'm sorry if I woke you," Ushio said when she saw my face; I must have looked grumpy. "I just wanted to let you know that I'll be running to the market to pick up a couple of things for dinner. We're out of a couple of seasonings that Mika-senpai was planning to use for our dinner."

"Okay," I said, rubbing my cheeks to help wake myself up. "Has she started prep already? Do you need my help?"

"I don't think so," she said with a shake of her head, "but you could check with her, if that's all right."

I nodded sleepily. "I'll splash myself and head down. Sorry for sleeping so long."

"It's fine," she giggled. "You've had a pretty exciting day, after all. Be right back!"

I smiled as I watched her scoot away; I missed having the energy levels that she seemed to take for granted. "Well, let's see what we can do," I grunted as I headed to the bathroom.

A few minutes later, I wandered into the kitchen area. "Do you need any help out here? Since Ushio's out, I thought I'd offer."

"No, I'm fine here, thank you," the purple-haired teenager replied as she stirred a pot. "If you're not busy, you could get dinner plates and bowls out, though."

"All right." I headed over to the cabinets and got out the requested dishes and headed back into the living room to spread them out on the kotatsu. "Anything else?" I asked as I reentered the kitchen.

"Not…really…" she said, the spoon slowing.

"You sure?" I said as I stepped up next to her with concern. "I don't mind helping, you know. My shoulder's a lot better so I can carry more stuff."

"I know. It's…"

I had a bad feeling but decided to ask anyway. "What is it?"

She turned the burner down and put the spoon on the counter to face me. "Okazaki-sama? There's a school dance on the last night before summer break. Would you go with me? As my date?"

"No, Mika, and I think you know why," I told her as I crossed my arms. "I know you told me to prepare myself, but you should also be prepared since you know how I feel about the situation."

"I do," she said, casting her gaze downward.

I studied her for a moment, then sighed. "Look, I'm sorry if I came on too strong; it's just that you're a nice girl who's set her sights way too low as far as I'm concerned."

"I disagree, but I respect your opinion," she said quietly. "Could we do another picnic sometime, at least?"

"We can do that," I conceded. "Maybe after my next follow-up appointment for my shoulder and my last session with Pastor Jeff."

"That sounds wonderful," she said, her disposition brightening noticeably.

"All right, we'll work something out after my life becomes less crazy then," I said, hoping that would satisfy her. Apparently it did, because she squealed softly as she grabbed up the spoon and fired up the burner to start stirring again. I watched her for a moment before heading over to the kotatsu with a chuckle and plopping down into my seat to look out the window. I then grunted in annoyance as I got up to open the curtain, then plopped back into my spot and enjoyed the view.

Ushio arrived with the needed ingredients about ten minutes later, and she joined her schoolmate in the kitchen, where they spent the rest of dinner prep talking and giggling with each other. How they found so much to talk about I was sure I'd never understand. Eventually they started bringing out covered dishes and bowls and set them on the table. "Dinner's ready," Ushio told me, more a formality at that point then anything.

"I see that," I remarked, sharing a smile with her. "Do you need any more help?"

"No, thank you," she replied as she headed back into the kitchen.

She came out one more time with Mika following her, and they set what I assumed were the last bowls on the table. My assumption was proved correct when Ushio took her place at the kotatsu, with Mika next to her and across from me.

"Thanks for the food."

I felt Ushio glancing at me several times as we loaded up our bowls, and my curiosity finally got the better of me. "Is something wrong, sweetie? I could be wrong, but it feels like you need something from me."

"There is, but I feel bad asking about it," she admitted.

"What's the matter?" I asked before taking a bite of my meal.

"Well…the school's having a dance in the evening of the last day of school, and I'd like to go," she said, ducking her head.

Of course, I already knew about the even from Mika's request, but I realized that I didn't have all the needed information. "Well, what time is the dance? I don't mind if you go, as long as it's not too late."

"It's…kinda late," she told me. "It goes from 6 PM to 10 PM, but that's not the real problem…"

"So, what's the real problem?" I asked, starting to become a little impatient.

She stared at her plate, apparently unable to look me in the eye. "First-years can only attend the dance if a parent comes with them."

"Seriously?" I looked over at our guest, who was staring at the top of the kotatsu. "Mika? Is this true?"

She nodded several times, her eyes still on the table. "I've never seen it happen myself, but apparently the school had a problem with second- and third-year boys harassing the first-year girls for a couple of years a few years ago."

"So why didn't they just demand chaperones for the older grades?" I asked. "If they're the problem, shouldn't they be the ones monitored?"

"I guess they tried that, but the parents wouldn't show," she said. "So, the parents of first-years have to be there, but they'll have the support of the school's staff when it comes to…dealing with problems."

I couldn't see how it would cover any legal complications, but the school must have accounted for that, so… "The last day of school, huh? From six to ten?"

"That's right," Ushio replied.

I couldn't help but feel like I was being set up. "That's a Friday, so I don't have work the next day…" I sighed. "Okay, sweetie; I'll be there. Did you want to be there for the whole thing?"

"I'd like to be there at six if I could," she replied with a cute blush. "I don't think I'd want to be there the whole time, unless my friends are there."

"They will have stuff for the parents," Mika offered. "You'd just be there if she needed to come to you for something, like if a boy kept bothering her then she could come to you for protection."

"Were there any problems like this last year?" I asked, suddenly concerned.

"Just a couple, but they weren't anything big," Mika replied. "You were a teenager once, Okazaki-sama; I'm sure you remember what your classmates were like."

I smirked as I realized that she was excluding me from her criticism. "Yes, I do remember; In fact, I remember Sunohara kept talking about wanting a girlfriend, and even ended up harassing a girl, who turned out to be the girlfriend of the captain of the rugby team."

"He…He did?" Ushio exclaimed, pressing her hands against her cheeks. "Oh, no…"

"Yeah," I chuckled. "He ended up getting beat up in the boys' bathroom."

"Is Sunohara-san a friend of yours?" Mika inquired.

"Was," I corrected. "And only sort of; Koumura-sensei – my first-year homeroom teacher – introduced us to each other since we were both troublemakers." I smiled wistfully at the memory. "Man, those were the days, huh?"

"Do you miss them?"

"Huh?" I blinked at Ushio's question. "Oh. Yes and no. I wish I wasn't the delinquent that I was…but I guess if I wasn't I might not have met your mother."

"And I wouldn't exist…" Ushio murmured. "Daddy, this might sound weird, but thank you for being a delinquent."

"You're welcome, sweetie," I chuckled.

"Wow…" Mika breathed, drawing my attention. "To think that one decision can make such a huge difference…"

"Like if Daddy went to the library instead of hanging out at the bottom of the hill?"

The older teenager blinked, then looked to me. "Why? Is that where you met your wife?"

I nodded, smiling at that memory as well. "Yeah. She was at the bottom of the hill, trying to find a reason to go to school since all her friends had already graduated."

"She was held back?"

I nodded again. "She had some kind of…illness or something. She was sick for most of her third year…her first time, I mean, so she ended up missing too much school. To make a long story short; she was a third-year for three years before she finally graduated. We married not too long after that, and Ushio was born not too long after that, and…" I felt a tightness in my chest at the memory of Nagisa's closed eyes and pale face. "Anyway, I'm glad I could be a delinquent for you, sweetie."

"I'm so sorry for your loss," Mika said, laying a hand on my arm.

"Thanks," I said. "Anyway…as far as the dance…" I glanced cautiously at Mika, "…I'll support you as much as I can."

"Thank you, Daddy!" Ushio positively lit up. "I'll do my best to not give any boys the wrong idea! In fact, I've been talking with my friends, and we plan on hanging out and dancing together. You shouldn't have to worry about me at all!"

"I'm glad to hear that," I replied; truth be told, though, the look of excitement on Mika's face had me more worried about myself than my daughter.

* * *

Ushio and I waved as Mika headed away from the apartment, and I pulled out my phone as I shut the door. "Do you need anything from me, sweetie? I need to make a couple of calls."

"I'm fine, thank you. I'll work on cleaning up."

"Thanks," I said, then had my phone dial Kappei's number.

" _Hey, Okazaki!"_ he boomed as usual, causing me to have to hold the phone away from my ear. _"Is my daughter on her way?"_

"Just saw her off," I replied.

" _Did, uh…she do anything weird?"_

I reflected on our time together. "No, not really. She did ask me to the dance on the last day before summer break."

" _Yeah, she told us she was going to."_

"Kappei, are you sure you're all right with your daughter pursuing someone a year younger than you?"

I heard him sigh. _"Normally, I'd be really uncomfortable with it. You, though?"_ Another sigh. _"I'm finding it harder to find arguments against it."_

Was he serious? "Well, what about your wife? She can't be okay with this!"

He laughed for some odd reason. _"Do you think I don't know about how Ryou used to feel about you? Feelings like that don't go away so easily, right? She hasn't said this, but I think she's glad that Mika's getting the chance that she never got."_

"Kappei, as your friend; I am so sorry that I've messed up your family. Other than Tadashi, I guess."

He laughed again, more loudly. _"Buddy, we just don't know what life's going to throw at us, am I right?"_

"You can say that again," I muttered.

" _Anyway, it's not your fault; my daughter's chosen to follow her heart. You didn't make her do it."_

"Small consolation," I grunted. "Does this mean you won't at least try to…I don't know, get her interested in someone else?"

" _You're the reason she changed her mind about her life, man! You think her mother and I'll be able to change her mind back that easily?"_

"I guess not," I admitted. "Well…for what it's worth, I'm sorry for any trouble I've caused."

" _Weird as it sounds, you really haven't caused any problems. Sure, Ryou and I didn't expect our daughter to fall in love the way she did, but it's still not like you intentionally encouraged her, right?"_

"That's true."

" _So if you want her gone, you're gonna have to figure out how to make it happen,"_ he told me. _"Even though she still lives with us, she's still an adult and we'll respect her decisions as long as it doesn't put the family in danger."_

"Understood," I grunted, starting to wonder if I'd ever be able to speak in a normal tone again.

" _Anyway, is there anything else?"_

"Nope. Looks like I have some work to do."

He chuckled good-naturedly. _"Take it easy, man."_

"You, too."

I ended the call and immediately had my phone call the church office. I expected to have to leave a message, but was surprised when the call was picked up. _"Glory to God, Pastor Aston speaking."_

"Hello, Pastor; this is Okazaki Tomoya."

" _Ah, Tomoya-san! Good evening!"_ Even though I couldn't see him, his tone of voice brought a smile to my face. _"Thank you for being willing to call so late."_

"No problem," I replied, thinking it odd that he would thank me for calling in the evening; normally it would be the other way around. "What's up?"

" _I've been able to schedule your last session for our usual time, a week from this Saturday. Will that work?"_

"I have that time blocked for us for the time being," I told him. "It'll work."

" _Great!"_ He sounded unusually excited. _"Would you bring your daughter with you, too?"_

"Um, sure," I replied. "Why do you want Ushio there?"

A longish pause. _"I…can't tell you."_

"Same reason as before? Don't want to spoil the surprise?"

" _Something like that, yes."_

I'd agreed to it, so… "All right, I'll make sure she's there."

" _I appreciate it. Speaking of Shio-chan; are you taking her to the school dance?"_

How did he know about that? "Yeah, she just asked and I agreed to chaperone her. Why?"

" _Just wanted to be sure,"_ he replied. _"You understand that your last session will be the day after the dance, right?"_

"Hold on," I said as I headed over to check the calendar; sure enough… "Damn-oh, sorry; I mean yeah, I see it."

" _Is that going to be an issue?"_

"Not if I can help it," I told him. "I'm not going to mess up all the work you put into this."

" _I appreciate that. Well, if anything changes, don't hesitate to let me know, okay?"_

"Got it," I said. "Anything else?"

" _No…No, I think that takes care of it. We'll see you then!"_

"All right, Pastor. Thanks."

" _God bless!"_

"Yeah…" I replied, unsure how to respond. "Take it easy."

I ended the call and pocketed my phone, wondering if my life would ever settle down.


	30. Dance Up a Storm

**Chapter Thirty: Dance Up a Storm**

I found myself walking down a long path that stretched into the distance, seemingly to infinity. The sky was a deep, rich blue, though it would turn cloudy and gray every so often. There were no buildings or road signs to be seen anywhere. I didn't know why, but I was forced to walk at the same pace, neither speeding up or slowing down. I walked alone and, oddly enough, I was missing my right arm.

After walking for a really long time, another path intersected with mine, and a girl with brown, shoulder-length hair started walking beside me, and the path widened just enough for the two of us. She had a warm, calming, and timid presence about her, and I felt happy and safe.

We hadn't walked for long before a baby appeared in my arms, but the brown-haired girl disappeared from my side at almost the same time, and then the baby disappeared from my arms, and I felt my heart stop and I stopped walking, though I continued to move forward, as though on a conveyor belt. The path stayed the same width as I moved alone.

I moved without walking for a long time before another brown-haired girl appeared next to me; she was short and had short brown hair under a blue and white hat, and even though I felt uncomfortable around her I started to walk slowly and felt my heart start beating again. I still moved forward at the same speed as before, though. As we walked she got taller and taller, becoming more and more beautiful, more full of life, and she started to glow, like the sun on a spring day. As she grew, her hair got longer and longer until it reached the small of her back. She was my life.

Another path intersected with ours, and a girl who was a little taller than the brown-haired girl and had long, purple hair came from the side and walked with us, on the other side of the brown-haired girl. She had a warm, calming yet bubbly presence about her, and I felt happy and safe; for some reason she appeared to me as three girls. While we continued to walk she somehow gave me nourishment, and I felt a twitch in my shoulder and held up my right hand, which had somehow regrown along with my arm.

Eventually the purple-haired girl stopped us and held out her hand toward me, and I realized I had a choice; I could move on, leaving the purple-haired girl behind, or I could take her hand and allow her to continue on the path with us. I knew, though, that if I took her hand that she would walk between me and the brown-haired girl from that point on, which made me uncomfortable.

I had a sudden sensation of falling, and I remembered what happened when I didn't take hold of her hand. I didn't know what to do, though: I didn't want to lose my sunshine but I also didn't want to fall forever…

* * *

"Hey, Okazaki; wake up."

"Huh?" I blinked, and a stack of papers on my desk came into focus. I looked up to find my boss grinning down at me. "Aw, sorry boss; I didn't mean to drift off there."

"You okay?" he asked as he eased himself onto the corner of my desk. "I'd normally say something like 'daydream on your own time' but this isn't like you. And on a Friday, of all days."

"Thanks," I replied, then clapped my hands on my cheeks before massaging them to try and re-center myself. "I'm fine, boss; just…had a couple of weird dreams lately, one this morning, and they've been bugging me." I grabbed the stack of papers before me and tapped them on the desk several times to get them reorganized. "That, and I'm accompanying my daughter to a school dance tonight. Sorry; I won't let it distract me anymore, don't worry."

"I'm not worried." He studied me for several seconds before speaking again. "So…girl trouble?"

"Something like that," I admitted. "Like I said; I'm sorry for drifting off like that, but I'm good now."

"So what's the problem?" he asked.

I blinked in surprise; while the boss and I had a good working relationship, he never really showed concern for my personal life. Or anyone else's, for that matter. "I…"

"Well, what is it? She too old? Too young? Too many?" He grinned. "I've seen how Ichika-san at the front desk looks at you."

"She wha-?"

He leaned toward me, his grin almost turning wicked. "What's your secret, man? You know, you're almost the poster boy for polygamy."

"Stop!" I yelled before slapping my hand over my mouth in response to a sudden bout of nausea. "I'm not like that, boss! She's eighteen, all right? Eighteen, and I don't know how to get her attention off me!"

"Eighteen, Okazaki?" he looked at me with disbelief. "How'd you manage that?"

"It's a long story, but I can say that I didn't deliberately encourage her," I replied. "Right now, I'm just trying to figure out a way to get her attention off me."

"Damn…" he muttered. "That's gotta be rough."

"You're telling me."

He shook his head with a wry grin as he clapped me on the shoulder. "Well, good luck with that, Okazaki."

"Thanks."

"Now get back to work," he said as he slid off my desk. "You have some catching up to do."

I found myself returning his grin. "Yes, sir."

* * *

The rest of the workday went smoothly; I got caught up on my workload and managed to make a follow-up appointment with the hospital during my lunch. All in all, it was a productive day.

As I walked home, however, I found myself feeling more and more anxious; not because I would be accompanying Ushio to the dance, but because I was sure that Mika would be there. And with as occasionally bold as she had become, I had no idea what to expect from her. Hopefully her friends would be there and keep her busy.

I marveled at how easily my right hand turned the key in the lock; I'd been doing it so much lately that I'd almost forgotten that I'd lost the use of it, however temporarily, not too long ago. "Man, how time flies…" I murmured as I entered my home. Knowing that the evening would be exhausting I headed to the bathroom and washed my face with warm water before heading to my room to change my clothes and lay down for a half-hour nap.

When I woke up, I could hear water running in the bathroom and figured that Ushio was getting herself ready for the dance. I checked the time on my phone as I headed to the bathroom and knocked on the closed door. "Ushio? Is that you?"

" _I'm in here, Daddy,"_ came her muffled reply. _"Just getting ready for the dance."_

"Okay. Just so you know; if you're wanting to be there by six we should be on our way in about a half an hour," I told her. "I'd like a few minutes in there to get ready myself, so let me know when you're done."

" _Okay; I'll hurry."_

"Thanks." That conversation done, I headed down the hall to the living room and fell into my spot at the kotatsu. I leaned back on my hands to look out the sliding glass window, then snorted as I got up to open the curtain. Once everything was squared away I looked out the window and worked on calming myself; I'd had a good nap, but it hadn't done anything to help with my anxiety. "Good grief, Okazaki; you're getting worked up over a high-schooler."

I couldn't ignore that fact that I was in a pretty delicate situation; the teen-aged daughter of two dear friends was actively (albeit awkwardly) pursuing me. Were it any other girl I could just ignore her and she'd eventually give up and go away, but Mika was the daughter of my two best friends, she went to the same school as my daughter, and she was still coming over regularly to help out with my recovery. Even if I booted her from dinner-making duties, the other two factors still weighed heavily and I had no control over those.

Another aspect of the problem was that the idea of a relationship between the two of us had been gaining support from those in the best position to put a stop to it; Kyou, Ushio…and, more recently, her parents themselves. I shook my head as I wondered how in the world they could be okay with the arrangement, even if Mika was legally an adult.

" _Do you think I don't know about how Ryou used to feel about you? …She hasn't said this, but I think she's glad that Mika's getting the chance that she never got."_

I mulled over Kappei's words; Ryou's prior feelings for me, communicated to Mika, along with all the time we spent together during my recovery…. "I guess I really shouldn't be surprised anymore," I sighed as I watched the clouds lazily drift across the sky.

Any further musings were interrupted by Ushio bouncing into the living room. "Sorry to take so long! The bathroom's available!"

"Thanks," I grunted as I got to my feet. "I'll be as quick as I can." I hurried into the bathroom and brushed my teeth and gave my face another wash. I'd already changed into the clothes I intended to wear to the event, dark clothes that wouldn't stand out, so all I needed was some basic hygiene.

After washing up I joined Ushio by the front door; she had already changed her shoes, so she waited excitedly while I worked on mine. Once I was ready we headed out.

"It seems kinda weird being out like this without Mika-senpai," she remarked as we walked. "I kinda miss her."

"I'm surprised that she wasn't waiting for us on the front porch," I replied; truth be told, I had become somewhat accustomed to her walking with us any time we went to the school for something. "It does feel weird."

"Do you miss her, too?"

I glanced over at her, expecting to see an amused look, but was surprised to find her looking up at me with an honest expression. "It's…different," I admitted, really not wanting to talk about it.

"Okay," she replied, and I felt her glance at me every once in a while as we made our way the school.

As we reached the bottom of the hill, I paused as the wave of memories washed over me again; meeting Nagisa for the first time, helping her with the Theater Club…

"Daddy?"

My daughter's voice snapped me out of my reverie, and I blinked several times to get back into the real world. 'Y-Yeah, sweetie?"

"Are you okay?" she asked with concerned eyes.

"Just…remembering," I sighed as we started walking again. "Let's get inside; we don't want to keep your friends waiting."

"R-Right."

We made our way over to the gym, where the dance was being held, and I opened the door to let her go in first. "Let's find someplace for me to park," I said. "After that, you can go and find your friends."

"Okay."

There were already a lot of kids there but not so many that we couldn't get through, and we quickly found someplace for me to sit. "Have fun, sweetie; I'll be here if you need me." Fortunately the music wasn't too loud so we didn't need to raise our voices…yet.

She knelt down to take my hands as she smiled up at me. "Thanks, Daddy; I really appreciate you doing this for me."

"You're welcome," I said with a soft smile. "Now go on and have fun."

"Okay!" she squealed, then spun on her heel and hurried into the mass of students.

My smile was tinged with a bit of sadness, knowing that in a few short years she'd be an adult, living her own life, and that these days of school events and fun and friends would quickly fall into her past.

"Hey."

I blinked out of my reverie to find one of Ushio's…no, Mika's friends looking down at me; it was the girl with the blue hair and glasses. "Good evening," I greeted.

"Good evening," she replied. "I'm surprised you didn't come with Mika."

"Actually, I'm here with my daught-" I quickly cut myself off, hoping she'd miss my near-slip.

She didn't, of course. "I take it you're not a college student, then?" her question was more of a statement than anything.

"I never said that I was," I answered, more carefully this time.

"And, based on your slip-up, you're most likely a parent to one of the first-years."

I sighed; damn her hearing. "That's right; I'm Okazaki Ushio's father."

"Where's her mom?" she asked while looking around.

"She died giving birth to Ushio."

I was pleasantly surprised to see a look of compassion cross her face. "Oh. I'm sorry. I didn't know."

"Of course you didn't," I replied gently. "It's okay."

"So you're her dad…" She sat down on a nearby chair, leaving a one-seat gap between us, and pressed the side of an index finger against her mouth as she appeared to study me. "You must be…what, thirty-four at least?"

"Thirty-six, actually."

"So, what are your intentions toward Mika?" she asked as she crossed her arms.

"To get her attention off me."

"Off?" She blinked, and I could help but smirk; she clearly wasn't expecting that answer. "What do you mean?"

I sighed; strictly speaking, I didn't owe her an answer, but since she was a friend of Mika's and was obviously concerned for her… "Mika's the daughter of a couple of friends of mine; in fact, her mother and I attended this school at the same time. After my shoulder here was reinjured, she came over to our place to help out with meals and the like. For reasons that aren't mine to tell, she ended up attracted to me, and…" I shrugged with my hands.

"So you didn't do anything to encourage her?" she asked, eyeing me suspiciously as she adjusted her glasses.

"Not intentionally, no."

She eyed me a little longer before dropping her arms with a sigh. "Doggone it, Mika; why doesn't it surprise me that you'd do something like this?"

"If you have any ideas, I'm open to them," I told her. "She's a nice-enough girl, but she really should be with someone closer to her age. A lot closer."

"I agree. I mean, I'm sure you're a great guy and everything, but at your age you're going to totally outclass her in the maturity department."

"Thanks, but I wonder sometimes…" I chuckled, leaning back and crossing my arms as I looked out to the dance floor.

I felt her gaze on me a bit longer before she spoke again. "Listen, I'm sorry for the way I treated you on your…at the park. At the time, I thought you were some college kid who was trying to take advantage of her."

I shook my head in disbelief as I turned toward the blue-haired girl. "How old do I look, anyway? It seems like ever since Ushio started high school I've had nothing but teenagers flirting with me."

She snorted into laughter, which was understandable considering the uniqueness of my complaint. "The guys in my class would kill to have your problem," she said when she finally calmed enough. "Some of the girls, too. Seriously though; other than your eyes, you look like you could be in your mid- to late-twenties."

"What is it about my eyes that makes me look older?" I asked, then became concerned as she started to blush. "You don't have to answer if it makes you uncomfortable; I'm sorry for asking."

"It's fine," she replied, removing her glasses to dab at her eyes with the back of her hand. "Well, it's like you said back then; you've seen a lot, and it shows in your eyes. You have small lines around them, like someone who's lived long enough to deal with a lot of pain. Considering that you lost your wife, it makes sense."

"Thanks, I think."

"You have very intense eyes, too; Mika might like that, but I'm not sure," she continued as she peered into my face. "They're kind, too. Wow…"

I started to become concerned at the intensity of her gaze. "Hey, are you okay?"

"Wha-?" Her eyes widened, and I saw her swallow hard as she straightened up with her hand over her chest. "Yeah, sorry. Damn, not me, too…"

"Miss?"

She suddenly shot up from her seat so quickly I was afraid she'd hurt herself. "I'm sorry, I have to go…uh, bathroom, right…"

"Okay. Thanks for your help," I said to her rapidly retreating form. "I hope she's all right…" I watched her until she disappeared around a corner before returning my gaze to the mass of students. It then occurred to me that I'd been so engrossed in my conversation with Mika's friend that I'd lost track of the time, so I started looking for my daughter's face among the students.

"Excuse me, young man." I heard a female voice say.

I heard her, of course, but since she obviously wasn't talking to me I safely ignored her as I settled into my seat and continued to scan the ever-growing crowd to see if I could find Ushio.

"Young man?"

After all, I'd been so caught up in my conversation with Mika's friend that I wanted to have some idea of where my daughter was.

I was startled by a touch to my shoulder along with another "Excuse me?" and I looked up into the face of an attractive older woman, with large violet eyes and dark-blue hair that fell to around her shoulder blades. "Young man, could you answer a question for me?"

I sighed as I realized that I was the 'young man' again. "I'll do my best, but you should know that I'm not a student here," I replied, hoping that would clear things up. "Not anymore, at least."

"Ah, my apologies," she said as she delicately dipped her head, and I noticed that she had part of her hair tied up in two bows similar to Mika's new hairstyle. "I saw you here and assumed you were a current student."

"No problem. Anyway, what's your question?" I said, not wanting to talk about my age yet again.

"Question?" she angled her head at me, reminding me of a puzzled puppy. "Oh! Of course!" She pointed out to the mass of students on the dance floor. "Can you tell me what is going on here?"

"It's…a dance," I replied; I didn't mean to sound patronizing, but I was having a hard time believing that she couldn't figure it out. "The school's having a dance event since summer break starts on Monday."

"I see," she replied, blinking several times as she settled into the seat next to me, and I got the sense that she was deliberately memorizing my words. "But if you are no longer a student of this school, why are you here?"

"My daughter is a student," I replied. "First-years are required to have their parents present for the event, so here I am."

She blinked in apparent surprise. "You mean…you are a father?"

"Yeeeeessss…" I replied slowly and carefully; this was definitely one of my weirder conversations. "If I have a daughter, then I would have to be a father, right?"

"Of course!" she exclaimed. "That is logical. I am sorry; I was in the library and heard the music start playing, so I came down to see what was going on."

"The library?" I repeated. "Kinda late for the library to be open, don't you think?"

"Oh, no," she replied, sending her hair swaying with the shake of her head. "I go to the library when I feel sad."

My forehead wrinkled. "That's…an interesting place to go for comfort."

"I spent a lot of time there when I was a student," she replied, sitting up even straighter. "I graduated before I could read every book, though, so I like to return to read the books that I missed. Since the school adds books on a regular basis, I never want for…comfort."

"Interesting," I said, genuinely intrigued. "What year did you graduate?"

"2004."

"Seriously?" I said, straightening as well. "What a coincidence; that's the year I graduated, too."

"Indeed?" she exclaimed. "But you look so young. If I may ask; what is your name?"

"Okazaki Tomoya. I was in Class 3-C, if that helps."

She pointed to her face. "Kotomi. You spell it…" she trailed off, then waved a hand in front of her face as it reddened. "So many years, and yet I still do that every so often…" She lightly patted her face a couple of times before looking to me again. "My name is Ichinose Kotomi. I was in Class 3-A but was not required to be in attendance."

"How come?"

Even in the relatively dim light I could see her cheeks darken. "I…was…"

"Hey, if it's embarrassing, you don't have to answer," I told her as I held up my hands defensively. "You hardly know me, after all."

"That is true," she said as she leaned forward to peer into my face. "But for some reason you seem so familiar… Would you please tell me your name again?"

"Okazaki Tomoya. It's a pleasure to meet you."

She sat up and pointed to her face again. "Koto… Oh my, I did it again," she said, ducking her head; something about her seemed childish even though she had to have been around my age. "It is a pleasure to meet you as well, Tomoya-kun."

"Tomoya-kun?" I repeated. "I think we're a bit past that level of honorific, don't you think? And I don't mean to be rude, but we don't know each other well enough for first names, right?"

She gasped as she covered her mouth, her eyes nearly the size of saucers. "Oh! I am so sorry! I did not mean to be so forward!"

"Don't worry about it…too much," I said casually as I gave her a lopsided smile; for some reason having her calling me 'Tomoya-kun' didn't bother me like I thought it would. "Maybe we knew each other in a previous life?"

"I have yet to find any scientific evidence to support reincarnation," she said, narrowing her eyes as she cocked her head. "It is possible, however, that we are experiencing the echoes of another timeline, one where choices were made that brought us together in some way."

I picked my jaw up off the floor, only speaking again when it was securely in place. "That was…quite the mouthful, Ichinose-san." Why did her name seem so familiar? Then, it occurred to me: "Hey are you the scientist that spoke here not too long ago?"

"I am," she replied simply.

I chuckled lightly. "Just out of curiosity: Did one of the students here ask you about your hair?"

"My hair?" She reached up to pat at her head, and when she touched one of her bows a light seemed to turn on. "Oh! One of them did, actually!"

"If we're thinking of the same person, then I know her; she told me that she…" I trailed off as I realized that telling her about Mika's fixation on her hair at the expense of the lecture could cause unnecessary problems. "She told me she asked you about it."

"Would you like to join me in the library?"

"Huh?" Where had that come from? "Uh, I can't; I'm here to keep an eye on my daughter for her 'safety'. In fact, here she comes," I said, smiling as Ushio approached us.

"Hello, Daddy," she greeted when she got close enough. "I found my friends, but then I saw you talking to someone and wanted to say 'hi'." She turned to my new acquaintance and bowed. "Good evening, ma'am; my name is Okazaki Ushio. I'm his daughter."

"Good evening, Okazaki-chan," Ichinose replied with a bow before pointing to her face. "Ko-" She cut herself off and I realized that she must have caught herself doing her former introduction. "My name is Ichinose Kotomi; it is a pleasure to meet you."

"A pleasure to meet you, too." Ushio replied, bowing again.

"So he is your father?" the scientist asked, gesturing to me.

"Um, yes ma'am," Ushio replied, looking at me with a puzzled expression. "If I'm his daughter, he'd have to be my father, wouldn't he…um, ma'am?"

"Of course!" Ichinose exclaimed. "That is logical. My apologies; I am a little…distracted."

"If I'm not rude for asking," Ushio said, "how do you know Daddy?"

I watched as Ichinose struggled with her reply, so I took pity on her and helped out. "We don't really know each other," I said. "She came down to find out what's going on here, and I just happened to be the first person she asked. Is that about right?" I asked, directing the question to the older woman.

"That…would be an accurate assessment," she replied, blushing furiously.

"Are you okay?" Ushio asked with concern in her eyes. "Can I get you some water?"

"No no," she replied while fanning herself. "I am not accustomed to being in the presence of so many people; I will head back to the library."

"Can I go with you?" Ushio blurted then looked to me. "Is it okay, Daddy? I just want to make sure she gets back okay."

"Sure," I grunted as I started to my feet. "I'll go with you, too. I still need to keep an eye on you while you do your good deed."

"Thank you, Daddy," she giggled.

As I followed the women to the exit it occurred to me that I had ended up accepting Ichinose's invitation to the library, albeit indirectly. Oh well, at least my little girl was happy.

As we tried to leave we were stopped at the door by one of the staff…or faculty or whatever. "Excuse me, but where are you going?" the man asked. "This exit is off limits."

"I…am returning to the library," Ichinose explained. "This nice young lady and her father will be accompanying me."

"Ah, Ichinose-sensei!" he exclaimed, startling me with his sudden change in demeanor. "I'm sorry; I didn't recognize you at first! Please, go ahead."

"Wait, please!" I was startled again as a voice called out right behind me, and we all turned to see Mika, with her hands folded and a worried expression. "M-May I come with you?"

"Hello, you are…?" the scientist asked, studying our friend.

"She's a friend of ours," Ushio explained. "When Daddy was recovering from surgery, she helped him by cooking meals for him."

Ichinose studied the teenager a moment longer before recognition flashed in her eyes. "Are you not the student who inquired about my hair?"

"Yes, sensei; that was me," Mika replied, ducking her head. "Hiiragi Mika. I'm really sorry about that; I just thought your hair was so cute and wanted to know how you did it."

"Yes, you said as much when we spoke after the Q&A," Ichinose remarked. "Thank you for your kind words and it is a pleasure to see you again."

"Oh!" the teenager squeaked again before bowing. "It is a pleasure to see you again as well!"

After a bit more back-and-forth the four of us started on our way to the library, Mika having received Ichinose's permission. We were pretty quiet as we headed over to the old building, or at least I was as I followed the three girls – women, really – who talked amongst themselves about stuff. As we walked the hallways and ascended the stairs, memories of comparatively simpler times washed over me; even though the halls had been repainted and parts of the school remodeled and updated, there was enough of my Hikarizaka High for me to feel nostalgic. I put my legs on autopilot as I remembered meeting Nagisa at the bottom of the hill and our many discussions about life and stuff. I remembered how hard she tried to restart the Theater Club and all the help I gave her even though I thought it was a lost cause.

In fact, I paused as we passed by the room that had been used for the club and stepped over to peek through the window. Like that time so many years before, boxes littered the room; they must have been using it for storage. I sighed sadly as it seemed like time itself was trying to erase all signs that Furukawa Nagisa ever existed.

"Okazaki-sama?" I heard, along with a gentle touch to my shoulder.

"Sorry," I said, forcing my gaze from the storage room over to Mika, who was studying me with a worried expression. "Just…remembering."

"What were you remembering, Daddy?" Ushio asked with a soft smile.

I gestured to the door next to me. "Your mother used this room for the Theater Club when she was trying to restart it; I was just remembering all the fun times we had…as well as the not-so-fun times."

"I remember some of the things you told me about it," she said quietly. "I'm ashamed that I never thought to come and visit the room where she worked so hard."

"Don't worry about it," I replied with a heavy heart. "It's not like you'd find any sign that she'd ever been there."

"But I know that she's been there," Ushio insisted. "And I think that because of that I still might be able to feel her in there."

"Okazaki-sama?" Mika said with pleading eyes. "If it would be all right, would you tell me about your time here? Not just at the Theater Club, but…just, what the school itself was like when you attended and what school was like for you? Like, your daily life?"

I snorted as I self-consciously ran my fingers through my hair. "I was kind of a boring person…but I guess I could understand why you want to know."

She said nothing in response but smiled fondly, creeping me out again.

"I…have good memories of this place," Ichinose said; I had almost forgotten that she was there.

"What kind of good memories, sensei?" Ushio asked.

The older woman's face lit up as she brought her hands together, the movement causing a light *clap*. "Oh, so many! I remember reading about nuclear physics, and biology, and astronomy…" Her eyes lost focus as she reminisced; presumably, those were her happy memories.

"I'm…very happy for you, sensei," my daughter replied as she exchanged amused glances with Mika and me.

"Thank you," the scientist replied as she refocused her smile on us. "It becomes harder and harder to experience the joy of discovery once one has read so many books. I find myself eagerly anticipating new discoveries so I can read about them and experience that joy once again." Her smile then started to fade. "That is one of the things that I do not like about growing older; the difficulty in finding that joy."

Our smiles faded as well. "I'm…sorry you're having so much trouble, Ichinose-sensei," Mika offered. "I hope you're able to have the joy you're wanting…um, more often."

"Thank you, young lady," Ichinose replied humbly. "I envy you in that everything is so new and fresh to you, that… I am sorry; shall we continue? I do not wish to detain us by prattling on." She turned and continued down the hallway, and the rest of us gave each other uneasy glances as we started to follow her again.

Eventually we made it to the library and the three of us watched as Ichinose produced a key and started to unlock the double-doors to the library.

"How come you have a key to the library?" my daughter asked.

Ichinose smiled briefly as she continued to work on the lock. "The school gave me a key when I first started attending and then gave me a copy when I graduated; I do not know why, but I am grateful."

She appeared to be having too much trouble with the lock so I stepped forward. "Here, let me help with that," I said as I reached for the key. "I've had some experience with stubborn locks."

"You sure have," Ushio giggled.

As I took hold of the key Ichinose suddenly gasped and quickly jerked her hand back. "Ah!"

"Are you okay?" I asked, my concern overriding my focus on my task. "I'm sorry; did I hurt you?"

"Ichinose-sensei?" Ushio chimed in. "Are you okay? Your face is really red."

"Ushio, go get some water for her," I ordered.

"I am not hurt…" Ichinose protested politely.

"Maybe so, but you're still looking kinda wobbly there," I told her as I returned my attention to the library doors. "Mika, help make sure she doesn't fall over or something. We'll get her to a chair as soon as soon as I get this stupid door open."

Fortunately she didn't protest any further and we got her into the library and into one of the many chairs inside. "Thank you," she said as she accepted the cup from my daughter. "I am unharmed, really; it just surprised me more than anything."

"What happened?" Ushio asked as she took a seat next to the scientist.

Ichinose glanced up at me from under her eyelashes. "I…am…not accustomed to being touched…especially by a man."

"Oh," I said, surprised by the revelation. "Well, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable; I'm sorry."

"Do not concern yourself with it," she said with a wave of her hand, though her face was still red. "You did not know, so it is okay."

"As long as you're okay; I thought I'd static-shocked you or something," I said.

"Okazaki-sama?" Mika tugged at my sleeve, eventually pulling me a short distance away. "I-I could be wrong, but I think Ichinose-sensei finds you attractive."

"Are you sure you're not just…what's the word? Projecting?" I asked half-teasingly.

She shook her head, her expression serious. "No. With the way she's been looking at you …" She glanced over at Ichinose, who had gotten up from her seat and was examining the bookshelves, Ushio by her side. "Like I said; I could be wrong. I just don't want you to end up in another awkward situation."

Her behavior had seemed odd, so… "All right, Mika; thanks, I'll keep that in mind." I sent her a lopsided smile. "Are you afraid of competition or something?"

"No," she stated while holding my gaze. "Because, in the end, I will give you every good reason to marry me."

"O-Okay," I said, unsettled by her intensity; I really needed to stop trying to tease her like that. "N-Noted."

"Don't worry," she said, smiling as she patted my arm affectionately. "It's not your fault that so many girls like you; you're handsome and have an awesome personality, so you don't have to worry about me taking it out on you like the girls at school do to their boyfriends."

"Thanks, I guess," I chuckled. "They still do that, huh?"

"Not all of them, of course," she said with a wink and a claiming of my hand. "Shall we rejoin the others?"

"S-Sure…" I replied as she dragged me over the bookcase.

As we got closer I heard Ichinose squeal in delight. "Ah! This one is new!"

"Good for you, sensei!" Ushio said with a patient smile.

"I must read this one!" she gushed as she pulled the book from the shelf and hurried over to the window. As I watched, she settled onto a cushion that was already on the floor.

"Are you sure that cushion's clean?" I asked as she laid the book on the floor before her.

"It is," she replied, never taking her eyes off her prize. "I cleaned it myself when I first arrived."

"Ooookay."

She looked up at me with a gleam in her eye, then scooted to one side of the cushion and patted the other half. "Will you read with me, Tomoya-kun?"

"Me? Um…" I looked around self-consciously at my daughter and my admirer. "You know we're not alone, right? Besides…" I knelt down and scanned the open book. "Yeah, just as I thought; this is way outside my understanding. Thanks for the offer, though," I said as I straightened and dusted off my knees.

"Oh."

"Besides, why are you asking me, anyway? We just met; I could be a creepy guy or something," I told her.

"You're not creepy!" Mika protested.

"I know that," I said, then gestured toward the seated women, "but she doesn't, and that's my point; she's showing way too much trust too soon, and that could get her in trouble later."

"A white picket fence."

"Huh?" Ichinose's statement was out-of-the-blue, but something about her words seemed…familiar.

"A white picket fence," she repeated as she rose to her feet and met my eyes. "I was practicing my violin when a boy who looks a lot like you came into my yard, looking for a lost ball. Taking the appropriate number of years from your facial bone structure and complexion has you looking almost exactly like the boy I remember."

"That's amazing, sensei!" Ushio gushed. "How could you remember something like that, from so…so…" she blushed as she was apparently about to say something embarrassing.

"From so long ago?" Ichinose asked, briefly glancing at my daughter before returning her gaze to me. "I can remember because he was the only friend I had; all the other kids avoided me, presumably due to my intelligence and hobbies." She took another step toward me. "But not Tomoya-kun; he accepted me for who I was – and am – and taught me many new things, new ways to play."

"I-Ichinose-sensei…?" Mika sounded worried.

I stared at the accomplished scientist, dumbfounded by her words…and then something about her face just…clicked; the large violet eyes, the placement of the bows in her hair…memories of happier times rushed over me, unbidden. "Wait a minute…that was you?"

She nodded. "I was practicing the violin when you came into my yard, looking for a lost ball. Mama believed you to be a nice boy and told me to introduce myself. It turned out she was correct, because we became very good friends."

I suddenly felt shame; I could tell it was not because I had forgotten in general, but because of something specific I had forgotten. "If that's true, then what happened? Why did we stop being…friends…? Oh my god…your birthday…"

"I believe it was because you did not show up for my birthday," she replied quietly. "It was very hard, but I believed you had your reasons."

"I was embarrassed," I realized, feeling my face burn as long-lost memories returned in full force. "I had promised to bring more friends for you but no one would come with me, so I was too embarrassed to show my face. After that, I ended up forgetting out of shame."

"That's too bad," Ushio said sadly. "You probably had a lot of friends when you were young, right Daddy?"

"Yeah…" I grunted as I tried to deal with the sudden and somewhat unwelcome memories. "If I remember correctly, they weren't interested in meeting with the 'weird girl'… I mean, that's what they called you. Damn me, I just gave in to peer pressure." I looked into a face that looked more familiar than before. "I'm really sorry about that, Ichinose. What can I say? I was a stupid kid back then; I just regret that my stupidity hurt you."

"I forgive you, Tomoya-kun," she said with a small smile. "I…am just glad to be able to see you again."

"Well, I don't know if I'm the 'Tomoya-kun' you remember," I told her while managing a wry grin, "but it's good to see you again, too."

"So, you remember her?" Mika asked worriedly.

"Kinda," I admitted while rubbing the back of my neck. "Most of it's fuzzy right now, but I think I remember enough."

"It must be exciting, meeting an old friend again," Ushio said encouragingly.

"I don't mean to be rude," Mika interrupted politely, "but I'd like to get back to the party."

"Hey, that's right!" Ushio said, rapping herself lightly on the side of her head. "I got so caught up that I forgot. My friends are probably wondering where I am."

"Yeah, you're right," I said, checking my watch. "We should head back. Are you going to be okay, Ichinose? Can we get anything for you before we head back?"

"Please, wait," my old friend said. Then, as the rest of us watched, she returned her book to the shelf, came back and moved her cushion from its spot near the window to behind a nearby desk, and then moved to stand before us. "I wish to accompany you."

The three of us exchanged a glance. "You sure?" I asked. "You remember how many people were down there, right?"

She nodded, albeit hesitantly. "I remember; however, I believe that as long as I am with you that I will be all right."

"You're more than welcome to join us, sensei," Ushio said with a sweet smile. "You're a friend of Daddy's, after all. What do you say, Mika-senpai?"

"I…" The older teen seemed to be at a loss for words, and it wasn't hard for me to figure out why. "I-It would be an honor if you came with us, sensei," she finally said, though she clearly looked uncertain.

"I don't know how interesting I'll be," I said to my genius friend. "But you're welcome as far as I'm concerned."

"Wonderful!" she replied, clapping her hands; Mika hadn't been kidding when she'd told me about Ichinose's childish aspects. "We have so much to catch up on, so I have no reason to believe that you would be uninteresting."

"Thanks," I grunted, not sure how to respond. "Well, let's head back, then."

We started back to the gym, but I found myself slowing as we passed by the old Theater Club room and I stopped to look inside yet again.

"Remembering happier times again, Daddy?"

I looked over at Ushio with a smile, though it felt heavy. "Yeah… Even though school sucked for me, sometimes I wish I could go back and do it all over again."

"I have an idea!" she chirped, hopping up and down all of a sudden. "Maybe the next time you have a weekday off you could come to the school and we could have lunch in here!"

My eyebrows jumped at the thought. "That's not a bad idea," I said, mulling over her idea further. "Yeah, I like that; next weekday I have off we'll do that."

"Great!"

That decided, we continued on our way back to the gym. Once there I reclaimed my seat, this time with my childhood friend sitting next to me as Ushio and Mika headed back into the crowd. "Have you had anything to eat?" I asked as I shifted my position to one more comfortable.

"If you are referring to dinner, I did eat before coming to the library," she replied as she sat turned toward me in her seat.

"Do you mind if I go get something? Ushio and I didn't eat before coming to the school because the school's providing food," I explained as I pointed to a group of tables on the other side.

"Oh, my! If you have not eaten then please, go ahead!" she exclaimed as she made a 'shooing' motion toward me.

I chuckled as I got to my feet and started over to the buffet tables. A quick glance over my shoulder showed her watching me with a smile so I gave her a small wave before committing fully to the serious task of food collection.

There were a few people around the tables, mostly students, and it didn't take long for me to find the paper plates and bowls and start loading up.

"H-Hi."

I sighed internally as I glanced over at what obviously was a student; my recent experiences with Mika and other girls around her age gave me a pretty good idea what was going to happen. "Good evening," I replied as I reached for a spoon to scoop some potato onto my plate.

"Wow…s-so formal…" she breathed, causing me to sigh internally again. "A-Are you in Class 3-A?"

"No, I'm-" How was I supposed to respond? If she really was flirting with me, then I needed to let her down gently. If, however, I was misreading her intention, then I could end up causing needless problems if I responded as though she was.

Fortunately, Mika came to my rescue. "Yamato-san!" she greeted as she joined us. "Sakagami-san's been looking for you!"

"Oh!" Yamato squeaked, her hand flying to her mouth. "I'd totally forgotten!"

"The last time I saw her, she was over by that corner," Mika replied as she pointed to one of the far corners of the room.

"Thanks!" she chirped before turning toward me to bow. "Please excuse me, senpai; I had forgotten that I was supposed to meet with a friend. I'll find you later!" With that she headed away, giving me a finger-wave as she left.

I rubbed at my temple with my free hand as Mika giggled lightly. "Thanks, Mika; she took me by surprise."

"You're welcome," she replied as she patted my arm. "And don't worry about Yamato-san; I'll…figure out how to keep her away from you."

"Don't like the competition?" I quipped.

"It's not that, Tomoya," she replied with a shake of her head. "I've been trying to give you space, after all. It's just that… I know that you're attractive to girls my age because of how young you look, and there are a lot of girls my age around here…" she trailed off as she indicated the crowd with a wave of her hand. "Honestly, I'm surprised that you've only been hit on once."

"We were in the library for a while," I pointed out.

"True," she acknowledged with a thoughtful nod. "And now that Ichinose-sensei's with you they might leave you alone."

"That's good," I sighed.

"Anyway, as your future wife I take your health very seriously, so I'm doing my best to keep your stress levels low."

My hand briefly paused in its journey toward a sandwich I smiled and picked it up and put it on my plate. "Thanks, I think."

"You're welcome!" she chirped. "Well, better get back to the gang!"

I returned her wave as she headed away from the tables, and my gaze was drawn to the way her hips...I shook my head as I forced myself to wonder if she'd had anything to eat yet. My eyes then widened as I realized… "Did she just call me by my first name? Rather than track her down and ask I finished filling my plate and made my way back to where my newly-discovered old friend sat waiting. "Sorry to take so long," I said while dipping my head. "One of the students, uh…wanted to talk to me."

"It is no problem," she replied. "In your absence I have discovered that I do not have a problem with large groups of people, as long as no one talks to me."

"You don't have to deal with groups at the lab?" I asked, my eyebrows rising.

She shook her head, sending her pigtails waving, which looked kinda cute. "No. I work with a small group of no more than around six at any given time. The only times that I am exposed to larger groups is when I give my lectures such as the one I delivered here recently."

I nodded slowly as I chewed, more on her words than on my meal; I could figure out what she was saying, it just took a little more effort than with most people. "Well, good for you," I offered after finishing my bite. "It's never too late to learn new stuff, after all."

"Indeed."

What I couldn't figure out, however, was the intensity in her gaze; something about it raised red flags so I deliberately returned my gaze to my meal. "So, what do you do at the lab?" I asked as casually as I could.

"I am the lead researcher for the String Theory team," she told me, noticeably sitting up straighter. "I offer support to those under my leadership and develop ways in which any discoveries can be utilized."

"That's pretty cool," I said, genuinely impressed. "Have you figured out anything you can do with this string theory stuff?"

She hid a giggle behind her hand. "I am sorry, but I am not permitted to discuss ongoing projects. Our website contains all of the information that we are permitted to disseminate."

I took another minute to translate her words to Idiot. "Okay, got it," I finally replied. "If I can ever afford a computer I'll be sure to look it up."

"You do not have a computer?" she asked, angling her head. "But computers are so inexpensive these days."

"Still outside the budget," I said, waving a hand to distract myself from my shame. "I'm a single dad who's been raising a daughter for the last decade or so; even with the help of extended family…" I trailed off with a shrug.

"I am sorry," she said with sadness in her eyes. "I did not intend to embarrass you."

"Besides, Ushio would need it more than I would," I remarked. "Right now, all she can use are the school's computers."

"Wh-What if I were to give you one?"

"Huh?"

"What if I were to give you one?" she repeated, straightening again. "I have several at home that I no longer use; I used them for my work, but the drives could easily be wiped, and-"

"Hold on," I said, raising my hand. "Thanks for your kindness, but…" I scratched my head as I worked on ignoring the sting to my pride. "It's my job to provide for my family, so to take a handout like that…"

"Very well." Her eyes briefly lost focus, then; "When is your daughter's birthday?"

"Huh? It was back in February. Why?"

She straightened even further, causing me to worry about her back. "Suppose that your daughter received a belated birthday present."

"Okay," I said, trying to hide a smirk; I already knew where she was going.

"And suppose that gift was intended to assist in furthering her education."

"I'm sure she'd appreciate that."

"What do you think, Tomoya-kun? Could you accept it under those conditions?" she asked with childlike eagerness.

I grunted more than sighed. "Look, I appreciate your generosity, but I'm not comfortable with Ushio receiving things from strangers. I understand that we're not strangers, but we haven't seen each other in years, so…" I scratched my head again. "Could I have some time t think about it? I'll probably be fine with it; I'd just like some time."

"I believe I understand," she said with a nod. "I will give you my contact information so we can correspond at a letter date."

"No, I'll try to get it sorted before we have to leave," I told her as I leaned back in my seat, having somehow finished my meal.

"I would like…"

Her hesitation drew my attention to her face, while was nearly scarlet…at least what I could see considering that she was looking down. "Yes, you would like…?" I prompted.

"I would like to exchange contact information, regardless."

I sighed. "I…suppose it's fine; we haven't seen each other in years, so…" I reached into my pocket and pulled out my cell phone. "What's your number?"

"We do not need to do that," she said, smiling in a motherly way as she held out her hand. "May I see your phone for a moment?"

"Um…sure," I said, handing over my phone with a puzzled look.

I watched as she got out her phone and held it next to mine. She tapped the screen on each phone a few times I heard a chirping sound. "There!" She handed back my phone. "I have exchanged contact information between our phones." I looked at my contact and, sure enough, her name and number appeared in my list of contacts.

When I accessed her info, a picture of her popped up; in it, she was dressed in what I assumed was her lab coat. Interestingly enough, she appeared to be wearing the same bows as the woman seated next to me. "That's pretty neat," I murmured. "I didn't know my phone could do that.

"Why do you not have a photo of yourself, Tomoya-kun?" I looked up at her word to find her examining her phone. "I have your contact information, but the image used is the default."

"I'm not very tech-savvy," I admitted.

"Are you afraid of it taking over your life?" she asked, wide-eyed.

I'd never thought of that and told her as much. "I guess I just don't have any real need for it," I said. "I mean, the only reason I have a cell phone is in case I need to call Ushio at home due to overtime or something like that."

"I see…"

"Excuse me?" came a timid sounding voice, and Ichinose and I looked up to the equally-timid gaze of a female student.

"What's up?" I asked, pocketing my phone as I straightened in my seat.

The only warning I had was a slight inward turn of her foot. "Would…Would you be willing to dance with me, senpai?"

It took me a moment to realize that it wasn't the girl who had spoken to me at the buffet table. "I, uh…"

"Young lady, he is not a student here," Ichinose informed her. "In fact, he is old enough to be your-"

"Tsuchida-san!" Mika called, saving me yet again. "There you are! Isamu-san's been looking for you!"

"What?" The girl quickly checked her wrist. "Oh, shoot! We were supposed to meet by the food tables to have dessert together!"

"Sounds like you need to get going," I said carefully.

"Right! Sorry, senpai! I'll find you later, I promise!" she called out as Mika dragged her away. As they left, I could swear I saw Mika wink at me.

"What a caring young lady," Ichinose said as she watched them depart. "Mika-chan? That is her name, yes?"

"Close enough," I replied; I really didn't want to get into a back-and-forth about honorifics. "I'd suggest you ask her what she prefers to be called; I don't think I've ever heard her called 'Mika-chan' before."

"I…will keep that in mind, thank you."

I stifled a burp, which caused me to realize that my new old friend hadn't eaten since coming to the dance. "Hey Ichinose; could I get you something to eat? Or at least something to drink?"

"I will admit that I am a little hungry," she replied. "If they have any sandwiches then I would like one, please."

"Anything to drink?"

"If they have something fruity, then I would like that; otherwise, I will have water."

"One sandwich and one fruity drink-slash-water coming up," I confirmed. "Be right back."

"Tomoya-kun?"

I paused and looked over my shoulder. "Yeah? Was there something else you wanted?"

"Could…Would you call me 'Kotomi-chan'?"

I mulled over her request but couldn't come up with a satisfactory answer. "Let me think about it while I'm getting your stuff, okay?"

"Okay."

I was approached a few times while trying to fill Ichi…Koto…her order, but Mika would always appear and find some way to get them away from me, and I was finally able to hand my old friend her food. "Sorry to take so long."

"I saw that you…had some trouble, but Mika-chan helped you. What a caring young lady."

"Yeah, I'm really grateful," I grunted as I scanned the crowd for the teenager's face.

"She is quite fond of you."

I froze, feeling a back muscle twinge in protest. "She… What do you mean?"

She ducked her head meekly before speaking. "I will readily admit that my understanding of human relations is somewhat…lacking, but I believe I have read enough about them as well as observed enough interactions to be able to at least formulate a hypothesis based on observation."

My nose traced several circles in the air as I worked on her sentence. "I think I get it, but what do your powers of observation have to do with Mika?"

"I have good reason to believe that she is attracted to you."

I chuckled softly. "Well, that's because she is."

I thought her eyebrows would climb around to the back of her head. "Indeed? You know this to be a fact?"

"Yes, I do," I replied dryly. "She told me about it – 'confessed to me', to use an old phrase – at the Founder's Festival."

"Then I perceived correctly?" she said, a smile starting to spread. "Oh, that is wonderful! That means that I can correctly deduce the state of a relationship!"

"Good for you," I chuckled.

"OH! I am sorry!" she cried, a hand flying to her mouth. "I was so caught up in my sense of accomplishment that I forgot what I was talking about!"

"So what were you talking about?" I asked, still amused.

"That you have a high-school girl vying for your affection," she replied while glancing at me repeatedly.

"Yeah," I grunted as I leaned back and stared at the ceiling. "And I don't know how to redirect her affections to someone more…well, younger."

"I am sorry that I cannot help you with that," she giggled, "but I do wish you well."

"Thanks; I wish me well, too."

Kotomi and I sat and watched the kids dance, eat, and gather in small groups to talk, and it seemed like it wasn't long before someone got on the PA system and announced, _"Hikarizaka's Summer Dance will be ending in thirty minutes. I repeat: Hikarizaka's Summer Dance will be ending in thirty minutes. Thank you."_

"That was fast," I remarked as I checked both my watch and my cell phone. "It doesn't seem like it's been that long."

"We were in the library for about thirty minutes," Kotomi noted. "Adding in the time it took to walk there and back and we could have easily used upwards of an hour."

"That's true."

We watched as the crowd of students started to diminish, and it wasn't long before Ushio approached us with a huge smile. "Thanks so much, Daddy! I had a great time!"

"Glad to hear it," I replied. "Are you done, then? There's still a little time before it's over."

"I'm done," she said. "My friends have already gone, anyway; I just finished saying good-bye to Shizu before coming over here."

"Well, let's get home then," I said, getting to my feet. "Kotomi-chan? Would you like us to walk you home?"

Her eyes lit up and she smiled excitedly as she shot up from her seat. "That would be wonderful!"

"Do you know if Mika's still here?" I asked my daughter. "I'd like to thank her for running interference for me."

"I saw her talking with her friends when I was on my way over here," she replied, then smirked. "By the way; Kumiko says 'hi'."

"Tell her 'hi' for me the next time you see her," I said, shaking my head with a smile. "Anyway, I'd like to let Mika know we're leaving in case she tries to find us later or something."

"I'll let her know and then meet you at the door," Ushio said. "Is that okay?"

"Sounds good, thanks."

She gave us an energetic nod and headed back to the center of the gym, and Kotomi and I started toward the door.

Ushio met us by the door a few minutes later with Mika in tow, though it looked more like the older teen was pushing the younger. "Senpai would like to talk to you before we go," my daughter told me.

I glanced at my watch. "I can spare a few minutes, but we'll be walking Ichinose-sensei home first, so we need to get going soon."

"Could I come with you?" Mika requested.

I studied the young woman as I considered her request. "I'll give your parents a call and let them know that we'll be seeing you to the station. You look pretty tired, so I don't think you should be by yourself."

"Okay."

"Let's get going before we all drop from exhaustion," I said as I grabbed the door handle and led the way out of the gym.

The air was cool, as expected for almost ten-o-clock at night, but it wasn't uncomfortably cold and we mildly shivered our way down the hill. "It's a little chilly," Ushio complained, though not too strongly as she adjusted her light coat around her.

"You can head home if you want," I told her. "I can walk Ichinose-san home, see Mika off at the station, and then head home myself."

"I'll stay," she insisted. "I wouldn't feel right, being in our warm home while you're out here."

"I'm fine, but if you want to stay with us then I don't have a problem with it."

"Perhaps we should see Mika-chan off at the station, first," Kotomi suggested. "You have school tomorrow, do you not?"

"Not tomorrow, no," Mika replied. "Today was the last day of school before summer break."

"Besides, you needed to talk to Daddy about something, right senpai?" Ushio said, giving her senior an amused grin.

"That's right," she confirmed, though she clearly wasn't takinig the bait.

We followed as Kotomi led us into a nicer neighborhood, the kind of place that I might visit bout would never be able to afford to live. "These…are some nice houses," I said, awed by our surroundings; even though it was dark, it wasn't hard to tell that we were in a higher-quality neighborhood.

"Wow, this looks so much like where I live," Mika breathed, unknowingly reminding me that her parents were much higher-class than I was. "If I didn't know better, I could end up getting lost here."

"Here we are," she said, stopping before a white house with a darker-colored trim. "This is my home."

"What a pretty house," Ushio remarked as she gazed up at the building.

"I would invite you in for tea, but it is late," Kotomi said to us. "Perhaps another time? A…rain check?"

"Sound good," I said with a smile. "Have a good night, Kotomi-chan."

"To you as well, Tomoya-kun," she replied with a small bow before quickly entering her house.

"She certainly seems well-off," Ushio remarked as we headed away from the house and toward the train station.

I glanced back at Kotomi's house. "If I remember correctly, that used to be her parents' home."

"It's not anymore?" Mika asked.

"I…think they died in some kind of accident a while back," I said, rubbing at my forehead. "Kotomi never told me herself that I can recall; I think I read about it and put two and two together or something."

We walked quietly for a bit longer before Ushio's voice broke ht silence. "Would it be okay if I went home? I guess I'm more tired than I thought."

"Could be the excitement wearing off," I remarked. "Sure, go ahead; I'll see Mika off and then head home myself.

"Okay. Thanks, Daddy."

We parted at a convenience store a short distance from our apartment but still on the way to the station. "That worked out well," Mika said as we continued on our way.

"Yup."

She was quiet after that, but I could feel her tension all the way to the train platform. Or maybe it was mine? "Well, the next train should be her in a few minutes," she said as she settled onto one of the benches.

"Did you have a good time?" I asked. "I didn't see you much, so I assume that you were with your friends."

"I did, thank you," she replied, smiling up at me. "Between spending time with them and keeping girls away from you, I had a busy time, but a good one. A 'busy-good time'."

I chuckled self-consciously as I shoved my hands into my coat pockets. "Sorry for any trouble I caused."

"You didn't cause any trouble," she giggled. "You can't help being so handsome and young-looking."

"Maybe I should have smoked longer," I quipped. "Then I'd look older. I don't know how Pops gets away with it, though."

"Who's Pops?"

I blinked as I realized they'd never officially met. "He's Nagisa's dad; he visited me at the hospital about the same time that you and your folks did. Anyway, the guy's smoked for as long as I've known him; it's a wonder that lung cancer hasn't taken him."

"I see…" she looked down at fidgeting hands resting in her lap. "Well, I'm glad you stopped smoking; I want you around for a long as possible."

"Thanks," I said, not sure how to respond. "You, uh, wanted to talk to me about something?"

"Sort of," she said getting to her feet and dusting off the back of her skirt. "I knew that I would be able to dance with you at the dance, so I was hoping you'd dance with me…here."

"Here?" I said, looking around. "But there's no music or anything."

She took a step toward me and I forced myself still; I wasn't going to have her chasing me around the station, which I could easily see her doing. "We don't need music, and I don't want to do anything modern or anything. I just…" She wrapped her arms around my middle and gently nudged me to one side. "…Just something simple."

I looked down at her open, honest expression…and sighed; I had yet to figure out how she could break my guard down so easily. "All right, Mika; I'll probably regret this later, but all right." I carefully wrapped my arms around her, and I could hear a happy sigh as she turned her head to snuggle the side of her face against my chest, and as I closed my eyes I tried to ignore a vision of her accepting my hand, separating me from the brown-haired girl…


	31. Now in Session

**Chapter Thirty-One: Now in Session**

I found myself walking down a long path that stretched into the distance, seemingly to infinity. The sky was a deep, rich blue, though it would turn cloudy and gray every so often. There were no buildings or road signs to be seen anywhere. I didn't know why, but I was forced to walk at the same pace, neither speeding up or slowing down. I walked alone and, oddly enough, I was missing my right arm.

After walking for a really long time, another path intersected with mine, and a girl with brown, shoulder-length hair started walking beside me, and the path widened just enough for the two of us. She had a warm, calming, and timid presence about her, and I felt happy and safe.

We hadn't walked for long before a baby appeared in my arms, but the brown-haired girl disappeared from my side at almost the same time, and then the baby disappeared from my arms, and I felt my heart stop and I stopped walking, though I continued to move forward, as though on a conveyor belt. The path stayed the same width as I moved alone.

I moved without walking for a long time before another brown-haired girl appeared next to me; she was short and had short brown hair under a blue and white hat, and even though I felt uncomfortable around her I started to walk slowly and felt my heart start beating again. I still moved forward at the same speed as before, though. As we walked she got taller and taller, becoming more and more beautiful, more full of life, and she started to glow, like the sun on a spring day. As she grew, her hair got longer and longer until it reached the small of her back. She was my life.

Another path intersected with ours, and a girl who was a little taller than the brown-haired girl and had long, purple hair came from the side and walked with us, on the other side of the brown-haired girl. She had a warm, calming yet bubbly presence about her, and I felt happy and safe; for some reason she appeared to me as three girls. While we continued to walk she somehow gave me nourishment, and I felt a twitch in my shoulder and held up my right hand, which had somehow regrown along with my arm.

Eventually the purple-haired girl stopped us and held out her hand toward me, and I realized I had a choice; I could move on, leaving the purple-haired girl behind, or I could take her hand and allow her to continue on the path with us. I knew, though, that if I took her hand that she would walk between me and the brown-haired girl from that point on, which made me uncomfortable.

I started to reach out toward the purple-haired girl's hand but hesitated; then, to my surprise, the brown-haired girl took my hand and gently but firmly pulled it toward the purple-haired girl's hand…

* * *

I groaned awake, reaching over to slap my alarm before pressing my hand to my forehead. "This is getting weirder and weirder…" With each dream I became more and more certain of who the individuals represented, but it didn't make the last part of each dream any easier to accept.

I grunted my way to my feet and padded down the hall to the washroom. I'd forgotten to check the time, but I knew that my last session with Pastor Jeff was supposed to be in a few hours, and I really needed the time to get ready. The dream plus the events at the dance plus how late I had gotten to bed had me in a near-zombie state. Fortunately Ushio wasn't in the washroom, and I was able to give my face a good rubbing with cold water. "Brrr…" I complained as my mind and body were forced into a more active state. "Come on Okazaki, we need to get going." Once last glance at my face told me that I needed more work but decided that could wait until after breakfast.

The smell of frying eggs greeted me as I left the washroom, and I found Ushio in the kitchen, wearing her apron and cooking away. "Breakfast'll be ready in a few minutes," she announced without looking at me. "Go ahead and have a seat and I'll bring it out."

"Okay," I grunted. "Thanks." I headed into the living room and fell into my place at the kotatsu. I then leaned back on my hands to look out the window. After getting up to open the stupid curtains I plopped back into my seat and watched the few clouds lazily drift by.

"Do…you mind if I leave after breakfast?" she asked as she brought out our breakfast.

"Ugh, too early to make decisions," I whined as I sat up to rub my forehead again. "Why, is there something going on at school-no, schools out for the summer. Club? Oh, that's right…"

"Ashton-sensei asked me to come to the church early," she said, looking down at her breakfast.

"Early? He did?" I puzzled over his request; why would he want me there at the usual time but Ushio there early? "I thought he just wanted me to bring you along. I didn't know he wanted you early."

"He does, but I was hoping to run a couple of errands before going there."

"Well, if that's what he needs, then that's fine," I said. "Yeah, go ahead and leave after breakfast if you need to."

"Thank you, Daddy."

"I gotta admit, though, I'm pretty nervous about today," I grunted, still feeling sleepy. "He wouldn't tell me what he's planning, so I'm not sure what to expect."

"Me, neither." She said, then chewed her food with a thoughtful expression. "Well, do you trust him?" she asked after swallowing her bite.

"I guess," I answered almost reflexively. Then I thought about it some more and found myself nodding. "No; he's taken good care of us – you and me both – so yeah, I trust him."

"Then just go and do your best," she replied with an encouraging smile.

* * *

"See you later, Daddy!" Ushio exclaimed, giving me a finger-wave as she headed out the door.

"You too," I replied with a wave of my own. "See you at the church."

She simply giggled as she closed the door behind her, leaving me alone in our home, and I gasped slightly as a memory of the dream hit me. I knew that Ushio would move out on her own eventually, but for some reason seeing her leaving for her errands gave me a sense of what it would be like for her light to leave the home. I shook off a feeling of loneliness as I headed back to the washroom for a wake-up shower.

As the water worked on the tension in my body I worked on the tension in my head; I still wanted to talk with the pastor about the dreams I'd been having, but I had a pretty good idea of what it was trying to tell me. Or I was trying to tell myself. "Whatever," I grumbled as I scrubbed at my scalp more vigorously than usual.

After my shower I headed to my room and got dressed for the day, specifically for my session. Then I set an alarm, grabbed a book, and settled down to read for the next hour.

I jerked awake to the sound of my alarm and realized that I must have fallen asleep. I quickly checked the time and thanked my prior self for setting the alarm; I could have easily ended up sleeping through my session. I closed up my book and set it aside, then grunted to my feet and headed to the washroom for one last splash of my face. Fully awake, I headed to the entrance, switched my shoes, and headed out.

The air felt nice and cool on my face as I headed to the church; it was a fairly warm day, but the occasional breeze helped bring the temperature down to a comfortable level, and I sighed at the sensation of it gently blowing my hair, like cool fingers on my head. It made it easier to ignore my worries about the session, and I soon found myself in front of the familiar doors to Glory to God church.

"Well, here goes nothing," I sighed before knocking on the door.

Less than a minute later the right-hand door opened and the friendly face of Pastor Jeff came into view. "Hey, Tomoya-san! Good morning!"

"Good morning," I returned; technically it was time to say 'good afternoon' but I wasn't interested in arguing that particular point.

"Are you ready?" he asked with a smile as he stepped aside, revealing the inside of the church.

"Nope," I replied with a smile of my own. "Let's go."

He chuckled as he closed the door behind me, but instead of heading to the hall to his office he opened one of the doors that led to the meeting hall. "This way."

My brow furrowed, but I followed him into the huge room…and stopped in my tracks.

The tables and chairs had been rearranged, with one of the tables surrounded by a semicircle of others. Sitting along the surrounding tables were some very familiar faces. "What the…?"

"Hey, Tomoya," Kyou greeted with a wave.

"Yeah…hi," I replied, returning the gesture as I looked around the room in disbelief. The Hiiragis were there, the children included. Mom and Dad Fujibayashi and Mom and Dad Furukawa were there, too, as well as the Yoshinos and Fuuko.

There were also a couple of faces I hadn't seen in years: "Sunohara? Is that you?!"

"Hey Okazaki!" My fellow delinquent, black hair and all, sat at one of the tables with a woman who I realized had to be his sister, though it took me a moment. "Long time, no see."

"Yeah, no kidding," I replied, feeling myself go back through the years to a simpler yet still complex time. "What are you doing here, man?"

"Got an invitation from your shrink," he said with a wink as he jerked a thumb at Pastor Jeff, who was just settling in behind the table at the center of the semicircle. "He said he was looking for everyone who-GAWK!" he suddenly yelped as the woman next to him gave him a sharp elbow.

"Nii-san, we were told not to say anything," the woman – Mei, if I remembered correctly – hissed as she withdrew the offending limb.

"Yeah, yeah, sorry," he groaned as he rubbed his side.

I laughed at their antics, but my smile faded quickly at the sight of my old man at one of the tables, and I started to get an idea of what the good pastor had in mind for my 'last session'. I managed another smile, though, at the sight of my daughter seated next to him. "Did you make it on time?" I asked as I approached her table, making sure to give the old man a wide berth.

"Yeah," she giggled as she drew her head into her shoulders. "I hope I didn't make you worry."

"Naw," I said, chuckling at her reaction as I looked around the room again. "Wow, this is a surprise."

"Am I late?" I looked to the doorway in time to see a shapely woman with dark blue hair and large, golden eyes hurry into the room. When she saw me she broke out into a huge smile. "Okazaki? Oh, wow! It's been so long!"

"Y-Yeah…" I said lamely as I accepted a hug from the vaguely familiar woman. "I'm sorry; you look familiar, but…"

"Don't tell me you've forgotten Misae-san," Sunohara said with a smirk.

"That's right!" I exclaimed, snapping my fingers; it was as though my eyes had suddenly been uncovered, and I saw the dorm mother standing before me. "Wow, it's good to see you again."

"Oh, you too," she said with a warm smile. "How have you… I'm sorry; that needs to wait 'til later. Is Ashton-sensei here?"

"Right here," the man in question replied as he made his way over to us. "Thank you for coming on such short notice; I really appreciate it, and I think Tomoya-san will as well…eventually."

I puzzled over his choice of words as I watched him guide the dorm mother to one of the chairs.

"Am I late?" I blinked out of my thoughts to find Kotomi awkwardly peeking into the room. "This is the right place, is it…? Ah! Tomoya-kun! Good afternoon!" she greeted, finally stepping into the room. "Am I late?"

"I don't think so," I replied cautiously. "Did Pastor Jeff ask you to come?"

"If you are referring to Ashton-sensei then yes, he asked me to be here this morning," she replied with a nod.

"Ichinose-sensei!" Pastor Jeff greeted as he joined us. "This way, please."

A few minutes later another woman arrived, this one with long, silver hair and an intense look. Something about her seemed familiar, though with the way things had been going it hardly surprised me at that point. "Is this Glory to God….church?"

"Yes it is!" the pastor said before I could reply. "Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule for this, Ambassador."

"Ambassador?" I repeated. "Ambassador to what?"

"She's Japan's ambassador to America," he said.

I looked from one to the other before carefully asking, "I don't mean to be rude, but why do we need an ambassador for my last session?"

"You don't remember me, huh?" the silver-haired woman asked as she flipped her hair.

"You do look familiar," I admitted, "but I figured it was due to seeing you on TV."

"You probably have," she said with another flip, "but you and I went to school at the same time. I was a year behind you, though."

Her name was on the tip of my tongue… "I'm…sorry, I can't remember your name."

"Well, we'll make that part of this session," she said with a playful smile, "if that's okay, Ashton-sensei."

"Sure," he said with a grin of his own. "We'll allow him the pleasure of rediscovery."

"Gee, thanks," I said sarcastically, annoyed at the lack of disclosure. "Like I'm not going to have enough on my plate."

He laughed and clapped me on the shoulder. "You'll be okay. As I said before, this'll be awkward but good for you in the long run."

"Fine," I chuckled, his mirth apparently having infected me. "Your game, your rules."

"Come this way, please," he said to the mystery woman, and she followed him to the table where Kotomi sat waiting patiently. After seating her he headed back to his table and reclaimed his seat.

"Hey, Pastor; where am I sitting?" I asked as I approached his table.

"You'll be sitting in the center table, right behind you," he replied, pointing past me.

"How do you expect to control a group this big?" I asked as I glanced over at the table he was pointing to.

"I don't expect to control it at all," he said, and I saw a smile on his face when I turned back to him. "I'll be explaining everything before we get started, don't worry."

"Okay," I said, still feeling a little unsettled by the setup as I looked back to the group. The Fujibayashis, the Hiiragis, and the Furukawas along with Kyou were talking amongst themselves, the women mainly, while Kouko and Fuuko had made their way over to Kotomi's and the mystery girl's table and appeared to be introducing themselves. Well, more like Kouko was introducing her and her sister while said sister watched. As expected, Ushio was talking to her grandpa and as I scanned the room further I saw Sunohara and his sister chatting with Misae. I smiled to myself as I realized that even though I knew all these people it didn't mean that they knew each other, so some of them were meeting for the first time. It gave me a sense of pride as it occurred to me that, in a sense, I had brought them all together. My smile faltered, however, as I realized that the pastor had to have been the one to bring them together, and as I thought about how much work he would have had to do to make the session happen, my feelings of pride started to fade.

I blinked out of my reverie as, out of the corner of my eye, I saw Pastor Jeff check his watch. "Anyone else coming?" I asked at his look of concern.

"There is supposed to be one more," he acknowledged as he rested his arm on the table again, "but we'll start at the planned time whether he's here or-" He suddenly shot to his feet and hurried around the table.

"Pastor?" I looked to where he was heading and suddenly felt a pressure behind my eyes at the sight that greeted me. "Sensei…"

The room grew suddenly quiet as an elderly man shuffled into the room, accompanied by a fussing young woman.

"Koumura-sensei; thank you so much for coming," Pastor Jeff greeted as he bowed slightly. "I regret any inconvenience my arrangements may have caused."

"Hmmmm…" the elderly teacher grunted. "You told me that Tomoya-san needed help; what else would you have me do?" My chest tightened and the pressure behind my eyes increased at the raspiness of his voice; he sounded so old… "Now, if it's not an inconvenience I should like to sit down, please."

"Of course, sir." I watched in mute shock as the pastor gently took my old teacher by the arm and led him to a table not far from the door and helped him into the seat there. "Are you comfortable, sir? I can get a cushion if you would like."

"Oh, for heaven's sake," Koumura-sensei rasped. "I'm not dead yet; I'm just eighty…" his forehead furrowed, causing me to worry until he lightly smacked the table in front of him. "Eighty-something."

"All right, sir," Pastor Jeff chuckled. "But if I can do anything for you, please let me know."

"Hmmm. You can stop fussing over me; that's what my granddaughter here is for," he said, indicating the young woman as she took a seat next to him. "However… I'm sorry Choko, but you're going to have to wait outside."

"But-"

"I am here for Tomoya-san, who will be dealing with some personal issues, not suitable for those to whom he is not acquainted."

"Yes, grandfather." With that the girl rose to her feet again and, after giving me a dirty look, left the room; I figured that ruled out making another friend.

"She will be back when she is needed," he explained as the door shut behind her.

"Tomoya-kun? Are you okay?" I heard Kotomi ask.

I couldn't answer her as I slowly made my way to the table where my old homeroom teacher sat smiling up at me. "Sensei?" I swallowed hard. "It's…good to see you again."

"And you as well," he croaked. I must have had a distressed look because he added, "Don't worry about me; in spite of my appearance the years have been kind to me."

"I'm very glad to hear that," I replied, swallowing another lump.

He smiled and beckoned to me with his hands, and that was all that was needed for the tears to start flowing, and I nearly ran around the table to fall into the chair next to him and throw my arms around the old man.

I wasn't sure how long I held my old teacher but it still didn't surprise me to hear Pastor Jeff say with a gentle voice, "I'm sorry Tomoya-san, but we need to get started."

"Yeah…" I replied, wiping my nose against the back of my hand as I pulled away from my old teacher, who smiled at me with moist eyes. "Sorry about the scene."

"It's been a long time, Tomoya-san," Koumura-sensei said as he took hold of my shoulder with a surprisingly strong grip. "We will catch up later."

"Yeah…" I repeated as I got to my feet and moved to my 'assigned' seat. "Later."

"Are you okay, Tomoya-kun?" I heard Kotomi ask worriedly.

"I'll be all right," I tried to reassure her. "It's just… I haven't seen him in years, and he really helped me out back then."

She studied me for a moment. "I will not claim to understand but will accept your word as true."

"So, if we could get started," Pastor Jeff announced, drawing my attention as he settled back into his seat. "First, I want to thank all of you for your willingness to be here on such short notice. I'm sure you're all very busy people, so your presence here is greatly appreciated."

"Glad to help," Kappei said, causing a few smiles.

"Ashton-sensei, how come I'm not sitting with my family?" Mika asked; sure enough, she had been put at a table all by herself all the way at one end.

"I'd like it if we could hold off on questions of that nature," Pastor Jeff said apologetically. "What I will say is that all of this will make sense by the time we're done today."

"Okay," she replied with a duck of her head. "I'm sorry for asking."

"No apology necessary, but thank you," he said, giving her an understanding smile. "Now, I understand that you all know Tomoya-san, but I don't know how many of you know each other, so what I'd like each of you to do is briefly introduce yourselves and tell everyone how you know him." He turned to my old man, who I noticed was sitting by himself. So where was Ushio…? "Naoyuki-san, would you be willing?"

I quickly glanced around the room and realized that my daughter had moved to the other side of the Yoshinos, and it occurred to me that the pastor may have set everyone up in the order in which I met them.

"I am Okazaki Naoyuki, Tomoya's father," my old man expl- Wait, did he just refer to me without the '-kun'? "It's a pleasure to meet you all."

"Thank you, Naoyuki-san," Pastor Jeff said as he inclined his head, then looked to Kotomi. "Sensei? Are you going to be okay with this?"

My old childhood friend looked around anxiously before her gaze settled on me. When our eyes met, her chin jutted ever so slightly and she rose to her feet and bowed. "Good morning; I am Ichinose Kotomi. I met Tomoya-kun when we were both young children and again in our third year of high school. It is a pleasure to meet you all."

"Thank you, Ichinose-sensei," Pastor Jeff said while inclining his head again. He then paused briefly, then smirked. "Ambassador, I think it's time to let the cat out of the bag."

"But I wanted to keep Okazaki guessing," the silver-haired woman huffed. "Tch, fine. My name is Sakagami Tomoyo. I'm Japan's ambassador to America and I knew Okazaki back in high school."

I suddenly recognized her but, remembering the pastor's request regarding questions, kept my mouth shut.

"I was a year behind him, but we ended up getting along pretty good. In fact, he helped me on a couple of occasions, and I've never forgotten him because of that. Anyway, it's a pleasure to meet all of you."

"Thank you, Ambassador," Pastor Jeff said while inclining his head yet again. He then looked to my former babysitter. "Fuuko-san? You're next."

"Of course," she replied, and I tried to hold back a snicker as she sat there with her hands folded on the table and a serious expression on her face. "I'm Ibuki Fuuko. I was the babysitter for Okazaki-san's daughter back when she was little, but knew Okazaki-san himself back in high school."

I was sure my jaw hit the floor three times: Once for her use of pronouns, a second time for how articulate she sounded, and a third because she said she knew me in high-school. "We did?"

"I can see that you don't remember," Pastor Jeff said while holding up a hand, "but we can clear that up later. Right now is introduction time, okay?"

"Yeah….sure…." I murmured, studying Fuuko as I searched my high-school memories for her face.

"Cool, I'm next," Sunohara said, rubbing his hands together. "But first; where the hell have you been, Okazaki? Sixteen years and you don't even try to call?!"

"Nii-san," Mei hissed. "We're in a temple."

"Oh…right. Sorry," he said as he rubbed the back of his head, and I found myself wondering if he'd grown up at all. "I'm Sunohara Youhei, and Okazaki and I were buddies back in high school. We did everything together; skipped school, hit on the younger girls, stayed up all night…"

I resisted the urge to utter a curse as I buried my face in my hands.

"Now, we know that's not true," Misae said in a disapproving tone as she whacked him in the back on the head. "I seem to remember very differently; Okazaki was rough around the edges, sure, but he was basically a good kid. You, on the other hand, were a constant troublemaker; playing your music too loud, causing trouble for the rugby players, trying to look down my shirt while I was working…"

"AWK!" he cried, waving his hands. "You knew about that?!"

"Nii-san!" Mei scolded while taking a whack at the back of his head herself. "Seriously?"

"It was a long time ago!" he whined, rubbing the back of his head again.

"Could we get this under control, please?" Pastor Jeff said carefully. "Sunohara-san? The reason you and your sister were invited was to help Tomoya-san work his way through some issues, but it won't do us – or him – any good if you're going to fabricate stories about him."

I was pleasantly surprised to see the idiot taking the pastor's words to heart. "Yeah…sure. Sorry." He cleared his throat as he gave sidelong glances to Misae and his sister. "The old man introduced us to each other our first year of high school; I guess he did it to keep us from dropping out. We really did do a lot together – mainly giving each other shi-er, trouble – but we kinda started to, uh, drift apart after he started hanging out with Furukawa."

"Did that bother you?" the pastor asked as he scribbled on a sheet of paper before him.

"Yeah, it did," he said, then smirked. "Not that I would've admitted it at the time, of course. Anyway, we were pretty normal teenage guys – other than being delinquents – but, like I said, we kinda drifted apart after he started helping Furukawa with her club."

"I see," Pastor Jeff said as he scribbled some more. "Mei-san, do you have anything to add?"

"Not really," she replied. "I just came to tell you that he was a really neat guy, really nice to me, so…I guess I wanted to vouch for his character."

"Fair enough. What about you, Sagara-san?"

Misae looked around the room before ducking her head with a light blush. "I guess I'm here to vouch for his character, too. Compared to Sunohara he was such a nice young man; like I said, I knew he was a little rough around the edges, but I was surprised to find out that he was a delinquent." Her eyes appeared to lose focus for a moment before she spoke again. "I used his suggestions for dealing with the students for a long time even after he graduated," she finished as she sent a smile my way.

"Thank you, Sagara-san," the pastor said, and it suddenly occurred to me that I'd been hearing Kotomi's, Tomoyo's and Misae's maiden names; had any of them married? "Koumura-sensei, thank you again for coming."

"Hmmm. You're welcome," the old man rasped before coughing a few times. "My apologies; I'm recovering from a slight cold. I am Koumura Toshio, and I was Tomoya-san's homeroom teacher his first year at Hikarizaka High School. As Sunohara-san has already pointed out, I am the one who introduced the two of them to each other with the hope that they would keep each other in school." He looked up at the ceiling for a moment. "I believe that is all I should say for this introduction."

"Thank you, sensei," Pastor Jeff said, bowing as much as the table before him would allow, and I was impressed at how much reverence the former American was showing my old teacher. Did the two of them know each other somehow? "Now, let's move onto post-high-school."

"Hey, what about Ryou and me?" Kyou protested.

"I'd planned on you going next," Pastor Jeff replied simply.

"Oh. Well, why didn't you tell me?" she huffed.

"Just let the man do his job, sis," Kappei said with a grin.

"Since you're part of his high-school life as well as after, you're next anyway," Pastor Jeff said patiently.

She huffed and stuck out her tongue before giggling. "Fine. I'm Fujibayashi Kyou soon to be Ashton Kyou, though I was Hagane Kyou for a while."

"You've been busy," Sakagami said dryly.

"Aaaaaanyway…" Kyou continued while glaring at Sakagami out of the corner of her eye, "I was sort of a friend of Tomoya's our third year of high school."

"Sort of, huh?" Pastor Jeff said with a wink and an uncharacteristically impish grin.

"Be quiet, husband," she retorted with a grin of her own.

I figured he was teasing her over her prior feelings toward me so I wisely chose to say nothing. I felt really awkward, though.

"How am I supposed to run this session, then?" he complained with a chuckle, then gestured to the Hiiragis. "Anyway…Kappei, Ryou, Tadashi?"

"Right," Kappei said, then cleared his throat. "Actually, Ryou? You should go first. You've known him longer."

"Okay," my old class rep said as she ducked her head, glancing around shyly. "Well, I'm Hiiragi Ryou, though my last name was Fujibayashi when I went to school with Tomoya-san. I was his class rep for his third year of high school. We didn't talk a whole lot, but I really liked…I really liked talking with him; he seemed like a neat guy."

"Yeah, there's more to that, isn't there?" Kappei said as he wrapped his arm around her narrow shoulders. "Isn't that why you've been encouraging our daughter?"

"Kappei!" she exclaimed, turning beet-red.

"What the-?" I blurted; I'd never heard Kappei talk like that before.

"Sorry," he said quickly, waving his hands while glancing between me and his wife. "Guess I'm feeling a little jealous." He shook his head as though to clear it. "I'm Hiiragi Kappei. I've known Okazaki for about…ten years now? Well, off-and-on really. We met after Ryou here reconnected with him after the loss of his wife. He's a great guy with integrity to spare."

"Thanks, man," I said, feeling a warmth in my heart at his words in spite of my prior shock.

He winked at me before resting a hand on his son's shoulder. "Tadashi here really looks up to him, even though they met more recently."

"I had heard great things about Okazaki-sama," the young man explained. "Granted, we have not been able to converse as much as I would like, but the times we have spoken have been quite edifying."

"Good grief!" Sakagami suddenly blurted. "How old are you, kid? You don't look a day over sixteen!"

"That is because I'm not, ma'am," Tadashi replied respectfully. "I am fifteen years old."

"I'm calling 'bull' on that," the silver-haired woman scoffed as she flipped her hair, and I smiled as I saw some of the Sakagami that I remembered from way back. "No fifteen-year-old talks like that, not even the girls."

"Well, my boy does," Kappei said, starting to sound a little defensive. "Both he and his sister are advanced for their ages. They get it from their mother, of course."

"Kappei," Ryou said in a disapproving tone as she gently smacked his arm. "You are very smart and amazingly mature; you just don't give yourself enough credit." Turning to address the ambassador she said, "He really is fifteen, though he'll be turning sixteen in a couple of months."

"Okay, okay, I give," Sakagami said, raising her hands in surrender. "Sorry about that. Truth is, it gives me hope for the future of Japan to hear a kid as articulate as your son."

"Thank you, ma'am," Tadashi said, bowing as much as the table would allow. "I will do my best to make you proud."

"Is there anything you'd like to say, Tadashi?" Pastor Jeff asked. "Of your own volition, that is?"

The boy appeared to ponder the question for a moment. "Well, as Dad has said, I've not known Okazaki-sama for very long; as I understand it, he and my parents lost contact shortly before I was born, and I've only seen him a couple of times between then and now. That being said, I believe that he is someone that I can safely hold in high regard…next to my parents, of course." He looked around somewhat sheepishly. "That…is all I have to say. Thank you."

I heard a quiet snort, and I didn't have to guess as to the source.

Pastor Jeff looked to the next table with a smile. "Yuusuke-san? I hear you're getting back into music."

"That's right; the muse has started calling to me again, thanks to Okazaki," Yuusuke said smoothly as he leaned forward to rest his elbows in the table. Beside him, Kouko sat with her hands folded in her lap and her trademark gentle smile. In light of my conversation with her a while back I suspected that she was a little uncomfortable with the setup.

"Any chance I could convince you to autograph my copy of 'Soul Magma'?" Pastor Jeff requested with an embarrassed smile. "Your lyrics gave me a lot to think about, and I'm grateful."

"Sure. Hit me up after we're done here."

"Thank you," the pastor said before taking on his more professional demeanor once again. "Sorry about that, everyone; that's been a little dream of mine. Anyway, would you and your wife introduce yourselves to the rest of us?"

"Sure. I'm Yoshino Yuusuke, and this is my wife Kouko. I met Okazaki while I was working as an electrician. Some gentleman's car had been damaged near where I'd been working and he thought that I'd done it. Fortunately, Okazaki came along and helped us figure out that it was just due to a really overweight cat."

The rest of us burst into laughter at his words, not just because of the situation he'd described but also because of how seriously he'd described it.

After we settled down, Kouko spoke. "My name is Yoshino Kouko, and I'm Yuusuke's wife and the older sister to Fuuko. I'll admit that I really didn't talk with Tomoya-san much until he started working with Yuusuke, but our conversations have been quite enjoyable and, as my husband alluded to, he was instrumental – if you'll pardon the pun – at helping him rekindle his passion for music." She looked over at me with a fond smile. "He's a very dear friend to our family."

I couldn't even croak out a 'thanks' due to the sizable lump that had suddenly formed in my throat.

"That was beautiful, ma'am," Pastor Jeff said softly before directing his gaze to the next 'group' which consisted of just Ushio. "Well, I think we all know who you are, but why don't you humor us?"

My daughter squirmed slightly in her seat as she glanced around the room. "I'm Okazaki Ushio, and I'm To-" Her eyes lost focus, and I realized that she had been trying to keep a professional distance for the sake of the session, but by trying to refer to me by my first name she was going back to an uncomfortable period in her life. "I'm his daughter."

"Shio-chan!" We all jumped at Fuuko's sudden exclamation, and I looked to see her with her hands up above her head. "You've grown so much!"

"Hello, Fuuko-san," Ushio replied politely, though with a bit of regret. "I'm sorry it's been so long."

Fuuko visibly deflated, probably due to how my daughter addressed her, very different than when they interacted so many years prior. "I-It's okay," she managed. "Fuuko understands. Life and all."

"Let's talk after this, okay?" Ushio offered with a hesitant smile.

Fuuko's face broke out in a huge grin as she started fidgeting in her seat. "I'd love that! We'll talk later! You can visit my place!"

"I love happy reunions," Pastor Jeff politely interrupted with a smile of his own, then sighed as he looked to the last 'group' also consisting of one person. "Mika? You ready?"

"I think I need to throw up, Uncle Jeff." She did look a little green, and I had a feeling that it something to do with what she'd have to reveal.

"Would it help if I reminded you that this is to help Tomoya-san?" he asked.

She locked eyes with me, probably without even meaning to. "My…My name is Hiiragi Mika; I'm the daughter of Hiiragi Kappei and Ryou, and…" She cast her gaze to the tabletop before her, then looked back up in surprise. "I helped Okazaki-sama with his recovery after his shoulder was injured! That's it! He'd had a surgery that made it so he couldn't use his arm for a while, so I helped by making meals for him!"

"What about his daughter?" Sakagami asked, understandably puzzled. "Didn't she live with him?"

"We'll get to that, eventually," Pastor Jeff said with a raised hand. "First, though: Is there something else we should know about your relationship with Tomoya-san?" he finished with a meaningful look.

My brow furrowed; why was he pushing her about that in particular? "Pastor Jeff, she-"

"It's okay," he interrupted, though not rudely. "Please trust that I have my reasons, okay?"

I nodded mutely, my heart going out to the poor teenager.

"Uncle Jeff, do I really have to…? In front of everyone?"

"You don't have to," he replied gently, surprising me. "But I believe that we need all the facts out there in order to help him out, and what I'm asking for would be considered one of the basic elements of your relationship with him. So, please."

You could hear a pin drop in the room as everyone's eyes fixed on poor Mika. I wanted to leap to my feet and shout at everyone to leave her alone, but at the same time I had agreed to let the pastor do things his way, so I kept my butt in my seat and my mouth shut, choosing to trust him.

Her face was nearly aflame as she stared at the top of her table again. Finally, and with a whimper: "I…think…IthinkIlovehim."

I heard a collective gasp, and looked to find Sakagami, Kotomi, Mei, Fuuko and her sister with shocked expressions, some with hands over their mouths. The men were calmer about it, though Dad Fujibayashi looked a little green. Did he and Mom know about their granddaughter's feelings?

Sunohara, however, was beside himself. "How do you do it, Okazaki?!" he started, getting to his feet. "I can't get a date to save my life, and you have… How old is she, anyway?!"

"Nii-san!" Mei cried out. "What's the matter with you?"

"She's a third-year in high school," Kappei replied proudly, which seemed out-of-place considering the circumstances.

"A THIRD-YEAR?!" Sunohara yelled, his eyes nearly bugging out. "That means she's…seventeen? Eighteen?"

I kept quiet, not wanting to unintentionally throw fuel on an open flame. I looked over at the pastor to see if he'd try to calm things down, but he simply sat in his seat with his elbows on his table and his fingers steepled as he watched us. Or was he observing?

"Wasn't it enough that you had every girl we knew in love with you back when we were in high school?" Sunohara fumed. "You need to go back and get some more?!"

"That's enough, Youhei!" Kyou shouted, shooting from her seat. "Are you here to help Tomoya, or to whine about your bad choices?!"

"Oh, you want to talk about bad choices, Hagane Kyou?" he shot back. He then chuckled at her shocked expression. "Yeah, I know about that. Ten years is a long time, isn't it? What's the matter; about to hit the wall and need to find someone who'll fertilize an egg?"

"NII-SAN!" Mei cried, grabbing onto her brother's sleeve. "What's gotten into you?"

"What's gotten into me?" he echoed. "What's gotten into me is that this guy was just as much of a loser as I was," he said, pointing at me, "but somehow manages to get himself a wife and a kid. Me? I'm wearing woman repellent!" He looked to Mika. "Hey, what's-your-name; if Okazaki doesn't want you, how about giving me a chance? You obviously like older guys, right?"

Mika shrank into her seat, her eyes wide with terror. "I…"

I'd had enough; I shot up from my seat and, as Kappei moved between his daughter and my lecherous – and apparently desperate – old friend, I took Sunohara by his shaking shoulder and right-crossed him as hard as I could. "You ASSHOLE!" I shouted at him as he sat on the floor with his hand over where I'd punched him. "Have you grown up at all in the last sixteen years? Don't you ever talk to her like that again, you got it?!"

"Nii-san!" Mei cried for what seemed like the umpteenth time as she hurried over to plop down next to her brother. "Please control yourself!"

For his part, Sunohara glared at me as he rubbed his cheek, which was already starting to purple. "Why you? What's so special about you? What have you got that I don't?"

"There's nothing special about me," I replied honestly, noticing Pastor Jeff take hold of my arm as I rubbed at my sore knuckles. "I'm nobody."

"That's not true!" I blinked in surprise at Mika's outburst, and I looked to see her peeking out from behind her father's shoulder. "You're a great man, Okazaki-sama! You care about others, and care deeply about them!"

"She's right, Tomoya," Kyou said, drawing my attention. "Even though I gave you a lot of crap in school, I could see that you weren't the delinquent you thought you were."

"Even though you were rough, you were still very kind," Ryou agreed as she moved next to her sister. "That's why…"

"That's why we both fell in love with you," Kyou said matter-of-factly as she and her sister blushed fiercely.

I glanced worriedly from Kappei to Pastor Jeff, who still held my arm. "Are you guys okay with them talking like this?"

"Why do you think I said I was jealous?" Kappei laughed as she stepped up to help Sunohara to his feet. "I know Ryou'll always wonder what life might have been like with you; it's just the way people are, even if it's just off-and-on."

I felt like dirt as I watched him help my old friend to his feet. "I'm sorry, Kappei; I didn't-"

"It's fine," he interrupted with a smile and a wink as Mei took her brother back to their seat. "Your loss, my gain. Right?"

"I guess…"

"And I'll admit that I'd be lying if I said that I didn't envy your shared history with my fiancée," Pastor Jeff added as he released my arm. "But life goes on, and the best things we can do are forgive, learn, and move on."

"Besides, they weren't the only ones who wanted to be by your side." I blinked in surprise at the intensity in Sakagami's voice and found her gazing at me. "It's true that I could have handled the captain of the Judo Club, but the way you stood up for me…" She blushed lightly at the memory from so long ago. "…you made me feel like a girl, Okazaki."

"M-Myself as well," Kotomi said, getting to her feet. "I wanted to be with the boy who stumbled onto my parents' property. I wanted to be with him forever and ever, and when I realized who you were in high school… Were my social skills better developed, I…" She closed her mouth, apparently unable to finish her thought.

"You seem to have quite the following, Tomoya-san," Pastor Jeff noted with a grin as he clapped me on the shoulder.

"Yeah…" I murmured, looking at all the female gazes around me. Maybe my boss was right; maybe I was the poster boy for polygamy. Not that I wanted the honor. "But I don't get it; I'm not special or any-"

"Knock it off, Tomoya," Kyou interrupted with an annoyed look. "Are you seriously going to look at all of us and still say that? You're obviously special to us, right?" she asked, indicating herself along with my other admirers, current and former. "Did it ever occur to you that maybe we've seen good things about you that you've never noticed or maybe taken for granted?"

I hadn't and admitted as such. "But look at how I've turned out," I countered, indicating myself with a sweep of my hands. "I'm a thirty-six-year-old salaryman, working as an accountant for an electrical company. A salaryman! While look at you," I said, gesturing to Sakagami. "You've done so much with your life, and I know you can't say that it's all due to me."

"No," the silver-haired woman admitted, "but it doesn't have to be for you to have made a difference in my life."

"Whatever," I groaned. "The point is that you've made something of yourself, but I've done nothing! Nothing, other than survive. Even animals do that! And you…" I continued, addressing Mika. "Do you seriously want to waste the rest of your life with some thirty-six-year-old has-been – no, more like 'never was' – like me?" I heard Kappei utter something in a warning tone but I ignored it. "You have so much going for you! Why would you want to throw it away on…on me?!"

"Be-Because I don't think I'd be throwing away anything," she replied quietly as she shuddered in her seat. "I'm sorry about basketball, but that's not what attracted me to you. I want to get married and have children while I'm still young, and…and…"

"She's going to be looking for the best man to be a father to her children," Pastor Jeff suggested, drawing my attention to his intense gaze. "She's going to want a man who is established in his career and is mature enough to handle the responsibility of being a husband and father. Boys her age aren't going to be able to provide that. Would you say that's an accurate assessment, Mika?"

"Yes, Uncle," she replied as she dabbed at her eye. "But there's more than just that."

"I assume you're referring to the personal angle?"

She nodded before dabbing at her eyes again.

"I'm aware of that aspect of the relationship, but I figure that's your area of expertise," he said with a knowing smile and a wink. "Right?"

"Y-Yeah," she giggled.

"Hold on a minute, here," Dad Fujibayashi said, interrupting the exchange as he rose to his feet; his voice alone carried quite the presence. "I realize that this was mentioned before, but am I understanding correctly? Is my granddaughter in love with my adopted son?"

"Adopted son?" Pastor Jeff looked puzzled by the term, so I briefly explained our shared history. "Ah, I see. If I understand correctly then yes, Mika has become enamored with Tomoya-san and wishes to be his wife."

The elder Fujibayashis sat in mute shock before Mom found her voice. "R-Ryou? Kappei? Do you know about this?"

"Yes, mother," Ryou replied. "It was a shock to us as well."

"Are you telling me you're okay with this?!" Dad Fujibayashi said, clearly trying to control his temper. "An eighteen-year-old and a…how old did you say you were? Thirty-six?" he boomed in my direction.

"Y-Yes, sir," I said, still capable of being intimidated by him even after all these years.

"Daddy, it's not just some random guy," Kyou protested. "This is Tomoya we're talking about. And he didn't go after her; she went after him."

"Tomoya, did you do anything to encourage her?" Mom Fujibayashi asked.

"Not knowingly or intentionally," I answered somewhat reflexively.

"Hmph," Dad grunted as he crossed his arms.

"Father, if you need someone to blame for this situation, then please blame me," Ryou offered. "I told Mika a lot about Tomoya-san, and all the things that…all the nice things about him."

"You what?" he exclaimed, his arms dropping back to his sides.

"Me, too!" Kyou piped up as she raised her hand as though a student in class. "At least until Sato imprisoned me."

"I see…" he grunted before slowly lowering himself into his seat again.

"Tomoya?" I shifted my gaze to Mom Fujibayashi, who appeared to be studying me with a worried look. "How do you feel about all of this? Of Mika's feelings?"

I felt the weight of every gaze in the room on me, and I could feel the walls closing in. "I…" I slumped in my seat, feeling drained. "I don't know what to think about anything right now. I feel like I'm still trying to put my life back together after losing Nagisa. I mean, I'm glad I can use my arm again, but-"

"You can use your arm?" Sunohara broke in, sounding incredulous. "When did that happen?"

"A while ago," I replied, smiling as I raised my hand above my head. "My shoulder was reinjured, but the docs were able to fix it using an experimental process."

"Wow. Cool." He was quiet for a moment, so I looked over to find him staring at me. "I know losing your range was really hard on you, so I'm glad you got it back. Sucks that it's too late to play basketball again, though."

"Maybe not professionally," Kappei interjected, "but he could be a great coach."

"How'd you bust it again?" Sunohara followed up.

My blood froze at the question. "I…"

"I accidentally hurt Daddy while we were…wrestling." I blinked over at Ushio in surprise; she was technically lying, but her actions could have been described that way. "I fell while holding his hand and pushed it over his head. I still feel really bad about it."

Kyou and I exchanged a look, and I figured we were thinking the same thing; namely, that she was lying about the wrestling but telling the truth about feeling bad. I'd have to talk with my daughter about that later.

"Anyway, I'm really glad that he got the chance to get his shoulder fixed," she finished, her eyes on the table before her.

"Must've been a hell of a match," Sunohara commented. "I'd have loved to see it…except for the part where your shoulder got busted, of course."

I felt my face heat up, and a couple of glances told me that Ushio was feeling the same and that Kyou wanted to pound the blonde-er, black-haired idiot into paste. "It was…different," I said as carefully and diplomatically as I could.

"I'd like to get back to Rinko-san's question to Tomoya-san," Pastor Jeff said with a raised hand. "What do you think of Mika's feelings toward you?"

I sighed, then closed my eyes like the pastor had taught me a while ago. "I'm honored, really," I replied with my eyes still closed, then smiled slightly at the sound of a gasp that was unmistakably Mika's. "She's a sweet girl with a big heart for others. I think she'll make a great wife to a very luck-…blessed guy."

"I hear a 'but' in there," the pastor prompted.

"That's because there is one," I said, smiling again. "I think she'll be a great wife, but I also think she deserves someone better than a washed-up has-been like me."

"That's not true!" Mika protested.

"Isn't it? Look at you!" I said, gesturing at her. "You're pretty, smart, and you have so much life ahead of you. Me? I pissed mine away feeling sorry for myself and actively working toward ruining this part of my life!" I got up from my seat and made my way over to her table, too agitated to sit anymore. "You have so much going for you, and you want to throw it away on an old loser like me?" I spread my hands as though presenting myself to her. "You want to be the wife of some pathetic salaryman?"

She shot up from her chair and fixed me with her fierce gaze. "No! I want to be the wife of Okazaki Tomoya, the most wonderful man I've ever met!"

"You need to get out more, or at least give your classmates a chance to grow up," I scoffed, then turned to my old sparring partner. "Hey, Kyou; tell her what I was like in high school. I wasn't so great back then, right?"

"Have you forgotten already?" Kyou snapped, her fists on her hips. "You had me, Ryou, Ichinose-sensei, and…well, her…" she gestured to the ambassador, "…all crazy about you for varying reasons. As I recall, your wife was also one of our schoolmates too, right? Tomoya, you weren't as bad as you seem to think!"

"Fuuko, too!" We all blinked at the short woman's sudden outburst, and I looked to see her nearly glaring at me, her expression was so intense.

"What about you, Fuuko-san?" Pastor Jeff asked; I'd almost forgotten that he was with us.

"Fuuko liked Okazaki-san, too," she announced, her face turning beet-red even as she kept her gaze on me. "I still do. I'm sorry that he wasn't able to play basketball, but I know there's more to him than just that!" She paused as her eyes lost focus. "When I remember taking care of Shio-chan, I remember Okazaki-san being a great dad to her, and I wanted to…to…to help him raise her!"

"I saw the same thing," Kyou added as she stepped up to face me. "I know I gave you a lot of grief when you'd come to pick up Shio-chan from school, but I also saw a great dad." She grinned at me lopsidedly. "If you were willing to put up with my crap for her…?"

"What about me?" Sunohara whined from his seat; next to him, Mei buried her face in her hands. "I was pretty cool in school, wasn't I?"

"Sunohara-san, I'm very disappointed in you," Koumura-sensei grunted as he got to his feet and started shuffling toward us, and I realized that it was the first time he'd spoken since…wait, had the session started? "You were asked to come here as a support to Tomoya-san, but what I've been hearing from you has been mostly whining or bragging. This session is not about you, young man."

My old partner-in-delinquency slumped. "Yes, sir. Sorry, Okazaki."

"And don't think I haven't forgotten how you were there for me while I lived under that creep's thumb," Kyou continued, clearly referring to her ex-husband. "That jerk kept me from seeing my family, so that left Tomoya and Shio-chan as my only contact with the outside world. He was really supportive that whole time," she said, addressing the rest of the group, "getting on me about my smoking and wanting me to take care of myself…" She dabbed at her eyes with her sleeve. "…and I'm so glad he did or I might've killed myself and never net Jeff."

I heard a gasp and glanced over to find Dad Fujibayashi wrapping an arm around Mom.

"What's amazing about him is that even though I treated him so badly in high school, threatening and teasing him, and even teasing him when he'd bring Shio-chan to school, he still stuck with me through all that. I'm really grateful."

"Nee-san…" Ryou breathed.

"Well, thank you for not killing yourself," the pastor said with a tight voice, then cleared his throat. "Sorry, I know you've told me about it before, but…"

"I understand, Jeff," Kyou said with a fond smile. "Thank you."

He nodded once before clearing his throat again. "Perhaps we should move to Tomoya-san's non-Mika relationships," he suggested, drawing appreciative chuckles from most of us, myself included. "Would any of his other admirers like to tell us how great he is?"

"I'll bite," a voice said through the sea of subdued chuckles.

"Very well, Ambassador," Pastor Jeff said as Sakagami rose from her seat. "You have the floor."

"Hey, nice touch," she said with an approving smile before her expression turned serious. "Well, like I said; I knew Okazaki back when I was a second-year at Hikarizaka. I had just transferred from the industrial high school, when this guy…" she said, waving at Sunohara, "…started giving me trouble. He tried to prove that I wasn't a girl or something, but Okazaki was a real gentleman; when I-" She suddenly looked to the floor, and I realized what she was likely talking about. "I was going to let him touch my chest so he could tell Sunohara that I really was – er, am – a girl."

I saw Pastor Jeff's eyebrows raise but he said nothing.

"He refused to touch me there, but we talked for a bit and we went back and he vouched for me."

The pastor's eyebrows lowered again, and I had to suppress a smile.

"Anyway, between that and when he stood up for me with the captain of the Judo Club…" She bit her lip as her cheeks tinted. "I haven't been able to find any guys as manly as him."

"You can't be serious," I said, astonished. "I mean, sixteen years? You couldn't find one man to fill the bill in sixteen years?"

"Not one," she confirmed, then grinned slyly. "I think you ruined me, Okazaki; are you going to take responsibility?"

I scoffed at her usage of the old cliché. "Well, I-"

"You can't!" I jumped at Mika's sudden outburst. "With respect ma'am; just because you've had trouble finding a man as great as Okazaki-sama…it's not his fault; it's just who he is!"

"Exactly," Sakagami replied smoothly as she flipped her long, silver hair, her gaze still fixed on me. "That's why after this is done I want to talk to you about going on a date."

"You can't!" Mika repeated, nearly in tears.

The ambassador briefly studied the teenager. "We may not have the same freedoms that America enjoys, but last I checked we were free to date whoever we wanted, provided the other person agrees. Am I wrong?"

"Well, no…"

"So, Okazaki," Sakagami said with a wink. "We'll talk after Ashton-sensei fixes you up. Okay?"

"Um, I guess…" I replied; the whole exchange seemed surreal to me.

"But Tomoya-kun..."

"Hold on," I interrupted, silencing Kotomi with a hand. "I don't see the point in going on with any of this when I'm not interested in remarrying."

"Ah, so you've decided?" Pastor Jeff inquired.

I sighed heavily; was I really uninterested? "I…guess not," I admitted. "But it really doesn't matter as long as I'm grieving my wife."

"Why are you still grieving after sixteen years?" he asked. "It's normal for the process to take a long time, and I for one would know that one never fully recovers from the loss, but…" He lifted his hands helplessly before letting them fall back on to his table. "I'm wondering if something about her death is what's keeping you from moving forward, not just in your relationships but your growth as an individual."

"That's…possible…" I admitted.

He leaned forward, resting his chin on folded hands. "Tomoya-san, I think you're withholding something from us because you've been withholding it from yourself. What is it?"

"What do you mean?"

"It's just a hunch, but I think you're holding onto something, something that would be devastating to you were you to acknowledge it."

"Like what?" I asked.

"I'm not sure," he replied, leaning back in his chair to cross his arms with his gaze still fixed on me. "Tell me about the birth of your daughter."

"No."

He blinked, apparently surprised. "Why not?"

"It's too painful," I said, settling back behind my table.

He blinked a couple times more. "Well, that's kind of the point of being here, isn't it? To deal with some unaddressed pain?"

"I'm not talking about the death of my wife, and that's final." I gave him my best glare and was impressed when he didn't flinch.

"Tomoya, don't be like that," Kyou said softly. "We can't help you if you keep stuff bottled up like that."

"Yeah, Okazaki, spill it; we won't make fun of you," Sakagami added.

I squirmed in my seat, wanting desperately to talk about it but at the same time wanting to tell everyone to shut the hell up. I crossed my arms, looked one way only to find the Hiiragis watching me with concerned looks, so I looked the other way only to find my dad watching me, also with a concerned expression.

"Daddy, please." My daughter's gentle voice seemed to speak to my very soul. "You're hurting, and really badly. If something about Mama's death is hurting you, you should tell us, let us help you."

I sighed heavily, starting to feel the weight of sadness from all those years ago… "She was so excited about the pregnancy," I said, tightening my crossed arms as I started to remember; maybe I was trying to hug myself. "She would spend hours looking at names for boys and girls."

"Did-" I heard Kyou start to say, but stopped abruptly for some reason. "G-Go on…"

"It seemed like she'd come to me every other day, wanting us to find out the sex of the baby and then changing her mind." I chuckled softly. "I had a hell of a time being patient with her after a while; after all, I had stress at work, too."

"Of course," I heard Pastor Jeff say quietly.

"She got more excited the closer we got to the due date…but then her fever hit."

"When did it hit?"

"Almost the same time as the first contraction," I replied to whoever had asked the question; I really wasn't paying attention. "Mom Furukawa was there along with the midwife. We'd talked about having the delivery in the hospital but she'd insisted on having the baby at home."

"So Nagisa wanted to have the baby at home?"

"Yeah," I grunted, feeling decade-and-a-half-old tears welling up. "I don't remember why anymore, but she really wanted to do it that way. Not that it mattered, anyway; by the time she was ready to give birth, the snow was too heavy for us to go to the hospital anyway."

"I'm so sorry, Daddy."

I sent what must have been a teary smile to my daughter. Nagisa's daughter. "It's not your fault, sweetie. Your mom wanted to give birth to you at home, and I wanted to give her what she wanted." I blinked several times as a sobering thought occurred to me, and I felt moisture start to trickle down my face. "Am…Is it my fault that she died?"

The silence seemed to go on forever before Pastor Jeff spoke again: "Is it your fault, Tomoya-san?" he asked gently.

"I…I don't know," I said, uncrossing my arms to examine my hands for whatever reason. "I mean, it's not like I killed her with these hands or anything. But…"

"Is it her fault, then?"

I snapped a glare to the pastor. "NO! All she wanted was to give birth at home! There's nothing wrong with that, is there?"

"Absolutely not."

"So why would you say something like that?"

He spread his hands as he looked at me with an expression of compassion. "Well, if someone has to be at fault, then it would have to be you, your wife, someone else there, or some combination. Am I wrong?" Even though his question stung, he still delivered it in an amazingly gentle tone.

"I guess that makes sense," I admitted.

"Do you think that Mom Furukawa is responsible for her daughter's death?"

"Of course not!" I exclaimed, snapping my gaze to his again. "She and the midwife helped a lot!"

"So we're not saying that Mom Furukawa or the midwife had anything to do with it," he said, scribbling on his notepad. "Who does that leave? Who else was there?"

"Just me and Nagisa."

"So this is where it gets tough," he said, leaning his elbows on the table. "That leaves us with either just you, just her, or both of you."

"Yeah…"

"Let's start with you," he said, studying me intently. "How would your wife's death be your fault?"

"I…don't know."

"You don't sound too sure of yourself, Tomoya-san."

"I…" I fisted my hands as I forced myself to take several deep breaths.

"Did you really agree that she should have given birth at home?"

"SHUT UP!" I yelled, jumping to my feet. "What do you know, anyway? You weren't there! You come in here like you know everything, judging me like you know everything about me! Well, you don't know SHIT!" I jabbed my finger in my chest. "I wanted her to go to the hospital, okay? I was afraid that something like that would happen, with the way life has shit on me, okay?! I didn't know it would happen, but I should've been prepared, okay?"

"Do you think she considered that as well?" he asked.

"How the hell should I know?" I yelled. "I didn't ask! She said she wanted to give birth at home, and that was it! As a man, it was my job to take care of her, and I failed!"

"You're right; it was your job to take care of her," he said, getting to his feet. "But does taking care of a wife mean giving in to her every desire, even ones that could cause her harm?"

I bit back several nasty replies, I was so furious. "Well…no."

"Based on your daughter's age you were, what, twenty at the time?" he said, sitting back down and picking up him pen.

"Twenty, yeah. Why?"

"How long had you been married before your daughter was born?"

I blinked as I realized that he had used Ushio's birth as a reference instead of Nagisa's death, even though they basically happened at the same time. "About a year-and-a-half."

"So you were a pretty new husband and soon-to-be father."

"Yeah. What does this have to do with anything?" I was starting to feel a little annoyed again, probably due in part to feeling emotionally drained.

"And she was a pretty new wife and soon-to-be-mother, wasn't she?"

"Well, yeah. Of course."

"You were both pretty excited, right?"

"I think I said something like that. What's your point?"

"That's a good question," he said, leaning back in his seat. "What is my point?"

"Dammit Jeff!" I snapped as I bolted to my feet again. "Stop with the goddamn games!"

"I'm not playing any games, I promise," he said evenly; how he could do that with me going ape-shit on him… "I'm trying to help you look at your situation objectively. I wasn't there, so I can't make these calls or decisions for you; if someone's to blame, you are going to have to be the one to decide."

"I don't want to decide, or even think!" I yelled, bringing my fists down on the table before me. "I just want to stop hurting! I just want the guilty feelings to go away!"

"What guilty feelings?"

His question stopped my rampage in its tracks. "What guilty feelings…?" I repeated. "I…feel guilty?" I looked to him for an answer but, of course, he couldn't tell me as he sat with his hands folded, his compassionate expression nearly etched into his face. "I guess I do feel guilty."

"How come?"

I licked my dry lips. "Because…I could have made her go to the hospital."

"But wouldn't that have upset her?"

"At least she's still be around to be upset with me!" I countered, then realized what he was doing. "Do you think I've been blaming myself without knowing it?"

He said nothing, but nodded ever so slightly.

"For what it's worth; that's what it sounds like to me," Sakagami said. "Damn, Okazaki; you've been putting yourself through hell, haven't you?"

I carefully settled back down in to my seat as the realization tried to overwhelm me. "It's my fault…but I was so young and naïve…" I brought my hands up, only to let them fall into my lap. "I…don't know what to do."

I heard a sigh from the front of the room, and looked up to Pastor Jeff, sitting up straighter in his chair. "The way I see it is that regardless of whether it really is your fault or not, you need to forgive yourself."

"How would that help if it's not my fault?"

"It's like we discussed before in regards to your father; even if he never apologizes for his actions, forgiving him releases your claim on him and, by extension, that part of your life. In this case, though, your claim is against yourself. So, who do you need to apologize to, and who do you need to forgive?"

"Myself," I said as the realization started to settle.

"Can you forgive yourself? I'm under no illusion that this would be settled in a moment, but do you think you could forgive yourself eventually?"

"I…don't know…"

"Naoyuki-san?" Pastor Jeff said, calling out to my old man. "Do you still blame yourself for the death of your wife?"

I blinked in surprise. "I thought Mom died in an accident."

"She did," my old man answered. "But I still wish that I had somehow kept her from going out that day. If I had…" He briefly gritted his teeth as he brought the back of his hand to his eyes. "…she'd still be with us, and you would have had a mother when you really needed one, and…we wouldn't have fought the way we did."

I stared at him in disbelief; I knew that we fought in part because he was having a hard time dealing with the loss of Mom, but I never knew how much it ate him up inside. "I…"

"Do you blame your dad for the death of your mom?" Pastor Jeff asked me.

"Well, no," I said. "I never did. I just hated him for busting my shoulder and then basically disowning me. But…he never did, did he?"

"I felt terrible for…what I did," the old man said. "I started using the honorific to give you space, to let you become your own man without any further interference from me."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. "You…did that…for me?"

He nodded solemnly. "I didn't want to discuss it with you because I was concerned that it would come across as condescending. So, I created that distance, hoping that you would take advantage of it."

"And, from the looks of it, you did," Pastor Jeff remarked as he swept an arm to indicate everyone in the room. "You made something of yourself and touched the lives of many people."

"Girls included," Kyou added with a grin.

I couldn't help but chuckle at her words. "For all the good it did. But I've got a question."

"Go for it," Pastor Jeff said, spreading his hands.

I looked to my old man. "Why do you still blame yourself for Mom's death? It's been, what, almost forty years now? And you had nothing to do with her…accident."

"I was a young husband and father as well," he replied.

My confusion must have shown, because Pastor Jeff stepped in. "You and your father are more alike that you realize, Tomoya-san. You both have very strong consciences, as well as a strong sense of right and wrong. Just as your father has been torturing himself over how he could have prevented his wife's death, you have been torturing yourself over a similar thing."

"Nagisa's death…" I mused as I studied my old man and, suddenly, he looked more like…'Dad'.

"Now that I know the situation," he started, "I suppose that part of the reason I am here today is to prevent you from…well, from becoming me."

I chuckled humorlessly. "Thanks…I guess."

My old man leaned forward with an earnest expression, taking me by surprise. "Please, Tomoya; please forgive yourself. I couldn't say whether you should have known better or not, but I can say that you have to let it go, for your sake as well as for Nagisa's. I would hate for you to carry a corpse with you the way I have been."

His words sickened me, but they made sense. "I…need to let it go," I said. "I think I might need to forgive Nagisa, too."

"Why's that?" Pastor Jeff asked.

"Because she knew about her condition, too," I sighed, feeling a weight start to lift from my shoulders. "I hate to say it, but if I'm going to forgive myself then I should forgive her, too." I looked over at him. "Just to cover all bases, I guess."

He appeared to mull over my words before nodding. "That sounds reasonable."

"Will you forgive me, too?" Mom Furukawa suddenly asked, drawing my attention. "As her mother, I should have known better as well, but went along with it anyway."

"But I don't blame you for what happened," I protested politely.

"But I do," she countered.

I slumped back in my seat. It seemed like I'd end up having to forgive half of Japan at this rate. Unless… "What if it isn't anyone's fault?"

"An interesting thought," Pastor Jeff observed. "Why do you say that?"

I looked around the room at all the familiar faces watching me with concern. "Well, I could say that all of us should have known better, but the fact is that we were all caught up in the excitement and probably just became forgetful; it's not like anyone meant to forget, after all."

"That makes sense," Kappei said with a smile and a nod, while his wife simply watched with a gentle smile.

"So maybe I don't need to forgive anyone; maybe I just need to accept that stuff like this happens in life and let it go," I concluded.

I then jumped slightly at the sound of someone slow-clapping and looked over to find my old man on his feet, smiling broadly and clapping away. "That was what I needed to hear, Tomoya," he said, and I heard a lightness to his tone that I hadn't heard in a long time, if ever. "Ashton-sensei has been trying to get that concept through my thick skull, but hearing you say it? It now makes perfect sense. I've been so foolish."

"I'm…glad I could help," I replied guardedly. "Wait; Pastor Jeff's been helping you?"

My old man and the pastor exchanged a glance and then a nod before he spoke again. "I have been seeing Ashton-sensei for 'counseling' for some time now."

That was interesting. "Since when?"

My old man briefly looked up. "Since…about the time of your shoulder surgery. He has helped me to understand quite a bit about myself, but the situation with your mother was quite the challenge."

"So you understand what I was trying to tell you, Naoyuki-san?" Pastor Jeff asked.

"I believe so."

He then looked over at me with an amused expression. "See, Tomoya-san? Miracles can happen."

I couldn't help but snort into laughter, the first in what seemed like a long time. Something felt...weird about the laughter, too; I felt freer than I had ever felt before, like chains had been removed from my wrists and ankles, and it occurred to me that it might have been what I'd been carrying around for the last sixteen years, maybe longer. "Yeah, I guess they can," I agreed when I'd calmed enough. I then sobered, studying my dad as he retook his seat. "I'm sorry you've been carrying that around for so long; I really do hope that I've helped."

"You have, but I think it'll still take some time for me to sort things out," Dad replied. Hold on; did I just think of him as 'Dad'? "I just regret that my problems became yours, and affected you so drastically. I can't tell you how happy I am that you have your mobility back, though I wish you could have had it sooner so you could have gone back to basketball."

"Well, things happened the way they did," I replied, then my jaw dropped at my own words. "What the hell? Did I just say that?"

"Looks like your new philosophy's taking nicely," Pastor Jeff said with the biggest smile I'd ever seen on him; for some reason the whole room looked brighter too, if only noticeably. "I should warn you, though; even though you might be feeling really good right now…how do I say this…?" He briefly gnawed on his lower lip. "You may experience some ups and downs over the next few weeks as this new way of thinking applies itself to other parts of your life. I just thought I should warn you so you don't end up thinking that you're backsliding or anything like that. Ups and downs are perfectly normal for someone in your type of situation. Does that make sense?"

"I think so," I replied. "Honestly, though? I'm just going to enjoy this…freedom as much as I can."

"As long as you consider yourself forewarned, enjoy your new freedom to your heart's content," he said warmly. "Congratulations, Tomoya-san."

"Thanks."

"Hey," Sunohara called, drawing my attention. "What just happened?"

I mulled over his question. "I've been set free, man."

"Huh?"

"I don't have to be bitter about stuff anymore," I told him. "I…don't have to let my past define me. No, that's not quite right…"

"Your past decisions?" Pastor Jeff offered helpfully.

"Yeah, that's it!" I exclaimed, gesturing at him. "I can look at the situation again and decide how I should have handled it and…well, go from there," I finished, somewhat lamely, in my opinion.

Sunohara looked from me to the pastor and back. "How the fuck…?"

"Nii-san!" Mei scolded. "We're still in a temple!"

"Y-Yeah…" he murmured, still staring at me. "Sorry."

"Tomoya-san," Pastor Jeff called. Once he had my attention he asked, "How do you feel about your dad now?"

I looked over at the man in question, who sat with his hands folded and a kind smile on his face. "He did his best to raise me in spite of his own pain," I said with no small amount of wonder. "And I was a little turd toward him." I heard several snorts but ignored them. "I'm not sure what to think right now, really; I've just had a lot dumped on me and really need some time to sort through it all, but…" I shook my head with a small smile as I continued to study him. "I'd like a chance to try again, but I don't know how long it'll take for me to be ready."

"I understand, Tomoya," Dad said, and I could tell that he really meant it. "Take all the time you need; whenever you're ready, you know where to find me."

"Yeah," I said, my throat suddenly feeling tight. "Thanks."

The room was noticeably quiet for while before Pastor Jeff spoke. "I think a lot has been accomplished today; to be honest, a lot more than I expected, so to speak. Tomoya-san, thank you for your willingness to put up with my shenanigans. I hope this wasn't too stressful for you."

I shrugged with a grin. "Since I wasn't sure what to expect, I'm not sure how to answer your question. Thanks for your shenanigans, I guess."

"I'm just so glad that this seems to have helped you," he chuckled before addressing the rest of the room. "And thank you all so much for being here for him today. I know he means a lot to each of you, but I also know how difficult it can be to free up time on a Saturday."

"Hey, friends are always there for each other. Right?" Kappei said, sending me a wink as Ryou giggled.

"Tomoya-san has been very good to my family," Dad Fujibayashi said, his deep voice echoing around the room. "This was the least that Rinko and I could do for him."

"And I guess a few of us have…similar reasons," Sakagami said, flipping her hair as she blushed, and I noticed that my other 'admirers' were blushing as well.

I heard Pastor Jeff chuckle, which drew my attention. "Well, if there's nothing else, I'd like to-"

"Wait, please!"

The pastor twitched, but otherwise seemed unsurprised. "Yes, Mika? What is it?"

I looked over to find her studying her fingers as they knotted themselves repeatedly. "Does…Does this mean that I can't love Okazaki-sama anymore?"

Pastor Jeff glanced at me before replying. "It doesn't mean that at all. What it does mean, however, is that you may have to give him more space as he works though what he's learned today."

Tadashi raised his hand. "If I understand correctly, this new knowledge will be life-changing for him."

"Exactly," Pastor Jeff confirmed. "Well done, young man."

The young man in question ducked his head as his mother patted it.

"I will say that, like before, the nature of your relationship will be up to the two of you," the pastor said, apparently in conclusion. "Anything else?"

"N-No," Mika replied; for some reason she seemed afraid or something.

"Anyone else?" he asked, addressing the rest of the group.

Kotomi's hand went up. "C-Can I still can him 'Tomoya-kun'?"

I chuckled along with a few of the others. "That's for the two of you to decide," Pastor Jeff restated, chuckling as well. "Take it up with him. For now, though…I'd like to close with prayer, if no one objects." It took a bit of murmuring, but no one objected. "Thank you. Then…" He closed his eyes and bowed his head as he extended his arms across the table at an angle, palms upward. The rest of us looked at each other in mild confusion before I realized what he was doing and bowed my head myself.

It was a few moments before he spoke again: "Lord Jesus, thank you so much for this time together. What we have been able to accomplish here would not have happened were it not for your hand in our efforts." The emotion in his voice caused pinpricks behind my eyes. "Thank you for your works in the hearts of Tomoya-san and Naoyuki-san, and I ask that you continue to teach and guide them in this new chapter in their lives as they grow in their understanding of who they really are as well as who you would have them each to become. Bless them as they depart this session, and bless those who took the time from their busy schedules to make this happen. May your will be done." A long pause told me that he was done, and I opened my eyes to find the others blinking repeatedly, some of the women dabbing their eyes with either tissues or the back of their hands.

"So, uh…anyone up for a late lunch?" Kappei offered, sounding more subdued than his usual gusto.

"I'd love to, son, but I have to get to the office," Dad Fujibayashi said as he checked his watch. "Rinko, why don't you go with them?"

"I think I will," she replied, her voice sounding thin. "I don't think I want to be alone after this."

"Jeff and I'll catch up with you after he's done here," Kyou said.

"No, go with them," Pastor Jeff said. "I'll catch up."

She studied her fiancée briefly as the others got up from their seats. "All right; just don't keep me waiting too long, okay?"

"I'll hurry."

"Then I guess we'd better get going," Yuusuke said as he helped his wife to her feet. "Hey, we'll go with you," he then told Kappei. "Fuuko, you coming?"

The woman in question looked from me to her brother in law. "I…I'm going!" she decided in her typical energetic manner.

I smiled in amusement as Sakagami and Kotomi looked at each other, and then narrowed their eyes slightly before getting up as one to join the Hiiragis.

"Free food? Count me in!" Sunohara exclaimed as he rubbed his hands together.

"Sure…" Kappei said, giving my old friend a suspicious look. "Sure, I'll treat."

"Nii-san!" Mei scolded yet again while whapping his arm…yet again. "Don't you have any shame?"

"Ugh; I'll pay for his meal," Misae sighed. "But you have a budget."

"Aww…" The black-haired idiot whined.

"Akio and I would love to join you…assuming we're included in the invitation?" Mom Furukawa said.

"Of course!" Kappei exclaimed. "Any family of Okazaki's is a friend of ours!"

"Wonderful!" she replied, clapping as Dad Furukawa put his arm around her.

"I would like to attend," Koumura-sensei said as his granddaughter and Pastor Jeff helped him to his feet, "but this old man can only handle so much excitement these days."

"We'll miss you, but we understand," Ryou said kindly.

My old homeroom teacher fixed his gaze on me. "Tomoya-san; good for you."

I had to bite my lower lip to keep from tearing up again as I exchanged a hug with him. "I'll make sure to visit; I promise," I told him.

"Hmmm…" he grunted, looking up at me with a smile. "Then I suppose I'll have to stick around a while longer, eh?"

"I'd appreciate it, sir," I replied, trying to play along.

"Hm. Have a pleasant day, Tomoya-san," he said as he allowed his glaring granddaughter to lead him toward the front door.

"I would like to accompany you, if I am invited," Dad said.

"Okazaki's dad?" Kappei exclaimed. "Absolutely!"

I chuckled but said nothing as I followed the group out the church's front doors.

"I've changed my mind," Pastor Jeff declared as he locked the front doors. "I'll come back later to clean things up."

"Yay!" Kyou cheered as she immediately moved to his side.

I smiled to myself as I quietly headed away from the group.

"Heading home, Okazaki?" I heard Kappei call out.

"It's been pretty exciting, so I think I need some time alone," I called back.

"I get it, but we'll miss you anyway," he replied.

"Thanks."

"Is it okay if I go with them, Daddy?" Ushio asked.

"Sure, sweetie; have a good time."

I exchanged waves with family and friends before heading fully in the direction of home. As I walked I thought about the session; how Pastor Jeff had brought so many people together to help me. Not just me but Dad, too. Had that been part of his plan? Maybe he'd been trying to help Dad and I at the same time since we seemed to be at the same point in our…progress. It was weird, really; it was as though I could feel the new way of thinking flowing through my body as though it was part of my blood, cleaning out the old way of thinking.

I suddenly felt an old yet familiar feeling; the feeling that I was being followed, so I turned a couple more corners before coming to a complete stop. "Okay, who's following me?" I demanded as I turned toward the area where my 'sense' was telling me to look.

I wasn't surprised to find Mika pop out from around the corner…but I was surprised to see Sakagami, Kotomi and Fuuko with her. "I didn't plan this! I promise!" Mika wailed as she trembled her way up to me. "Dad said it was okay for me to go with you to make sure you got home safely, but I didn't know that Ichinose-sensei and the others were following you, too!"

"It's okay, Hiiragi-san," Sakagami said as she joined us. "Just so you know, Okazaki; it's not her fault. I saw her leave and figured she was following you, so I tagged along, in a sense."

"M-Me, too," Kotomi added as Fuuko nodded.

I sighed as I crossed my arms. "How old are you all?" I asked incredulously.

"It's impolite to ask a lady her age," Sakagami sniffed as she crossed her arms as well.

"My point is that you should have just asked to come along instead of tagging along like some kind of love-struck high-schooler," I said, then winced internally at about the same time I saw Mika wince externally. "We're all adults, right?"

"M-May I walk you home, Tomoya-kun?" Kotomi asked, then gasped with her hand to her mouth. "May I still call you 'Tomoya-kun'?"

"It's fine," I replied, suppressing a chuckle at her distressed expression. "I haven't changed that much…yet. I'll let you know if there's a problem, okay?"

My words seemed to reach her as she breathed a sigh of relief. "I understand."

"And yes, you may walk me home, Kotomi-chan," I added.

"What about Fuuk-I mean, me?"

I sighed again. "Look, I'd rather not run through the whole team roster, so… Yes, you may all walk me home, but I'd like to be left alone after we get there; I've had a pretty draining day."

"Understood," they replied, almost in unison.

Fortunately, they were quiet the rest of the way to my place, and it wasn't long before I was arguing with the lock to my door.

"Do you need a hand? I could have that…never mind," Sakgami amended at my glare. "Sorry."

I finally unlocked the door and turned to my bodyguards. "Well, thanks for the escort. Enjoy the rest of your day, and make sure to talk with my daughter; she's a neat kid," I said, directing the latter part of my statement to Sakagami.

"Do you need me to make lunch for you?" Mika asked.

Nuts. "I'll…be fine this time, thanks," I said politely. "Don't worry about me this time and go have fun with the others."

She took a step closer, and I noticed that she seemed afraid, probably because of the way I'd glared at the ambassador. "Please, Okazaki-sama; let me make lunch for you. I promise I won't be a bother; I won't even talk to you if that's what you wish. I'll just make it and leave."

"Seriously?" Sakagami exclaimed, apparently surprised by the offer. "Damn, you're a better woman than I am; I'd have forced my way in and made him talk about his day." She turned her gaze to me. "Could I at least have your number? I'd like to set up a date with you… When you're up to it, of course."

"Me, too!" Kotomi and Fuuko said in actual unison, then looked at each other in surprise.

I sighed. "Okay, but I need you all to leave after this. Please." I handed my phone to Mika. "Could you handle it? You seem to understand this stuff, and my brain's already full."

"O-Okay," she stammered as she accepted the phone, and I realized that I had just asked her to give my number to three of her 'rivals'. "Go ahead and get our y-your phones, please." After exchanging the contact info she handed me my phone back. "Here you go, Okazaki-sama."

"Thank you," I said, suddenly feeling very tired.

"May I make your lunch for you?" she asked again.

I sighed. "Yes, please. Kotomi-chan, Fuuko, good to see you again. Sakagami, feel free to give me a call in a few days when your schedule allows and we'll catch up. Cool?"

"Cool," she replied, a smile starting to spread across her face.

As the other women headed away and back to the restaurant, Mika followed me into the apartment. True to her word, she said nothing as she made her way to the kitchen and quickly began rummaging around the cabinet to prepare a meal. Still feeling drained, I headed to the kotatsu and almost plopped into my spot before remembering to open the curtains first, then patted myself on the back as I settled down to look out the window. As I watched an airliner fly overhead a delicious smell started to waft in from the kitchen and my stomach growled. "Smells good," I said before I could catch myself; I had asked her to not talk to me, after all.

"Thank you," she replied.

"Sorry, Mika," I said before returning my gaze to the sky, where a couple of puffy clouds had started drifting by.

A few minutes later she came out with a bowl and a set of chopsticks on a plate, and a small, steaming pot. A couple trips later and a colorful, beefy-smelling meal sat before my eyes. I looked up to her face, but she just glanced at me before returning her attention to setting out the meal. After she finished with that, she headed back to the kitchen and started cleaning what she had used. For some reason I found myself watching her with a feeling of unease; she was usually so bubbly and chatty, so to see her so…reserved?...was a little unsettling.

A few minutes after that she left the kitchen and headed to the doorway, and I quickly got up from my seat to see her off. "Thank you," I said after she had gotten her shoes on.

She looked up at me with a guarded smile before quickly stepping up to me and hopping up on her tiptoes to place a soft kiss on my cheek. After a short bow, she was out the door and down the street.

"See you later," I said to her diminishing form just before she rounded a corner, leaving my sight.

Lunch was amazing.


	32. Sundays are for Relaxing, Right?

**Chapter Thirty-Two: Sundays are for Relaxing, Right?**

I stood in the middle of a huge, snowy field. Everywhere I looked was snow. Snow, snow, snow. Off in the distance I could see tall mountains, reaching up to the sky as though they could touch the clouds that constantly released their frozen crystals to the ground.

As my eyes adjusted to the intensity of the light I noticed that, here and there, pieces of debris of various sizes appeared to have been strewn around. I didn't see any kind of civilization or even a city or town around, which left me wondering where the debris had come from. Perhaps an airliner had crashed?

It was then that I noticed that two of the pieces of junk weren't junk at all, and I hurried over to find a girl half-buried in the snow next to what appeared to be a small robot. Had there been a crash and she was the only survivor? Then where were the other passengers? "Hey, are you okay?" I asked as I brushed the snow from her still form. As I worked I was shocked to find that she was wearing little more that what appeared to be a white summer dress. What was more shocking was that she looked very much like my daughter. "Ushio…?"

Her eyes flickered open and she gave what appeared to be a smile of recognition when she looked up at me. "Ah…"

"What's going on?" I asked. "Are you okay? Where is everyone?"

She didn't answer my question but looked over to the robot, whose hand she held; something about it reminded me of a toy robot I had purchased for Ushio so many years ago. She gave the hand a squeeze, and I jumped back as the robot's head turned her way.

"It's okay," the girl said. "It'll be over soon."

"What will?" I asked before it hit me; of course she'd be suffering from hypothermia. Who wouldn't, in this weather? I quickly started to shrug out of my coat. "Here, sweetie; put this on," I said as I scooted toward her again; I was worried about what the robot might do, but I figured that it at least wouldn't hurt Ushio. "I don't want you to freeze to death."

Still prone on the ground, Ushio looked up at me with a smile that I thought would melt the snow around us. "I'm glad to see you well, Daddy. But I'm not your Ushio."

"What…?"

She somehow started to glow and fade at the same time, along with the robot. "My Daddy can't be happy without Mommy and me. But you…" she reached up with a glowing hand, and I reflexively took it in my own. "…you, Daddy, can have happiness… With me and…"

I watched, speechless, as the girl and the robot each dissolved into spheres of pure light which then streaked up into the sky, leaving me alone in the snowy plain, which itself then started to glow with an unearthly beauty…

* * *

"USHIO!" I woke up sitting up in my bed, and I reached up to wipe the sweat from my forehead. "Ugh, that was different," I grunted, resting my other hand on my forehead.

A moment later there was a knock at my bedroom door. _"Daddy?"_ I heard Ushio call from the other side. _"Are you okay?"_

I scrambled to my feet and bolted for the door, slamming it open to grab up my surprised daughter in a hug, and I felt her wrap her arms around me. "I'm sorry," I said when I had more of my wits about me. "I just had a really weird and sad dream, and you were in it."

"It's okay, Daddy," she muffled into my nightshirt. "I'm right here, I'm okay."

I held her for a minute longer – just to be sure – before releasing her to wipe at my eyes. "It was so weird… Of course it was just a dream, but it seemed so real." She didn't reply, so I removed my hand from my eyes to see her watching me with a small smile. "I'm sorry," I chuckled awkwardly. "Go ahead and go back to whatever you were doing and I'll work on pulling myself together."

"Okay," she replied before hopping onto her tiptoes to kiss me on the cheek. "I hope your day turns out better than it started. I love you, Daddy." With that she turned and hurried back down the hall.

In spite of my sleepiness I smiled as I headed into the washroom to clean myself up for the day. As I rubbed warm water into my face I thought about the dream. Something about it seemed so familiar, like it reminded me of a dream that I'd had a long time ago. "I guess that's one more thing to talk to Pastor Jeff about." I gave my face one more splash with cold water before finally stepping out of the bathroom to head back to my room with the intent to change into my day clothes; even though it was Sunday and I really wanted to lay around, I figured I should at least make myself presentable, to my daughter if no one else. As I slid open the door to my room, I could hear my cell phone ringing and I scrambled to pick it up, missing the caller ID in my haste. "Hello? This is Okazaki."

" _Tomoya-san?"_ came a familiar, concerned voice. _"This is Pastor Jeff Ashton from Glory to God church."_

"Good morning, Pastor. What's up?"

" _Well, I'm calling to see how you're doing. Yesterday was pretty intense, so I wanted to check on you. So I am."_

"Thanks," I chuckled. "Honestly, I've felt a little out-of-it since the session. I think you were right, though; it was awkward, but I think I'm a lot better because of it. I feel better, at least."

" _That's good to hear. Listen… Do you still hate your dad?"_ he asked, and I could hear the hesitation in his tone. _"If it's too soon to ask, then let me know; I don't want to push."_

"No, it's fine." I took a deep breath, and felt the last of my fatigue disappear with my sigh. "I'd have to think about it more to be sure, but right now I don't think I ever really hated him. I was angry, sure, but I don't think I hated him."

" _That's good."_

"I actually feel more sorry for him now," I said, still mildly surprised by that fact. "He lost Mom and tried to raise me on his own. It was probably pretty hard on him when we started fighting; I mean, I was his last connection to Mom, right?"

" _An astute observation."_

"So I guess I'd say that I don't like him right now, but that could just be because I'm so used to feeling angry toward him."

"' _Time heals all wounds' as the saying goes, and you're still feeling the momentum, so to speak?"_

"Yeah," I chuckled awkwardly. "If nothing else, I guess I can relate to him since we both lost our wives and had to raise kids on our own."

" _That's true."_ A brief pause. _"Sorry for bringing that up so early in the morning, and so soon; I wasn't planning on trying to talk to you about that just yet. I guess I'm being a little selfish because I've been really worried about the two of you."_

"Thanks," I replied, genuinely touched. "Listen… I, uh, haven't had breakfast yet, so my day really hasn't started…"

" _Understood. Have a great breakfast and take it easy today, all right?"_

"Will do."

" _God bless."_

"Yeah, uh…you, too." I ended the call and pocketed my phone before heading down the hall, following a delicious smell into the kitchen. "Hey, that smells great."

"Thank you," Ushio replied meekly as she pushed scrambled eggs around a pan. "Would you take the bowls out to the table, please?"

"Sure." I made my way to the cupboards and retrieved a set of bowls. When I saw the dragonflies racing around the border I thought of Mika; was she doing okay after the events around my session?

"Daddy? I'm sorry, but could you please move?"

I blinked to discover that I'd been staring off into space. "Oh, sorry." I quickly grabbed up two sets of chopsticks and carried them along with the bowls out to the table. "Do you need any more help?" I asked after I had set them in their proper places.

"No, thank you," her voice echoed from the kitchen. "Go ahead and get settled."

I smiled as I started to settle into my spot before quickly reversing course to open the curtain. I then settled in to watch the morning clouds drift by.

Ushio came out a few minutes later with some cookware balanced on her arms, and I smiled to myself as it reminded me of the time when Pops and I had visited the restaurant where Nagisa worked; I never did find out why he was 'checking out' his own daughter, though. The memory had me glancing over at the framed photo of Nagisa and I, taken so many years ago. I still missed her, but I blinked in surprise as I realized that the pain of the memories wasn't anywhere near as strong as it used to be. "Huh…"

"Daddy?" I blinked again and turned my gaze to my daughter, who appeared to be studying me. "Are you okay?"

I chuckled lightly. "After yesterday, I really don't know. I think so. We can start breakfast though, if that's what you're asking."

"Okay."

We thanked someone for the food and dug in. "Do you have any plans for today?" I asked as we ate.

"I'd…like to just take it easy this morning, if that's okay," she said. "Yesterday was pretty exciting, with your thing at church and the lunch afterward."

"Hey, that's right," I said, gesturing to her with the hand that had the rice bowl in it. "I didn't go to lunch with all of you, so I'm curious; how'd things go? Did you have a good time?"

"It was…different," she replied with an expression I didn't immediately recognize. "First of all, Ichinose-senpai, Fuuko-san, and the ambassador didn't show up until later, which I thought was weird since they left with us. Well, until they got there and told us that they'd walked you home."

"Yeah…" I said, wondering if they'd told her anything else about their visit. "You know that Mika was with me as well."

"I noticed, but I didn't think that was weird," she said with an impish grin. "What would've been weird to me would've been if she actually came to the restaurant with us."

"Good point," I chuckled lightly.

She giggled, but her face fell pretty quickly. "I feel bad for Sunohara-san, though. Isn't he your age?"

"That's right. Why?"

She ducked her head meekly, and I had a feeling about what she was going to bring up. "Well, I don't know how to say this, but… He looked about the same age as you, but seemed…I dunno, younger, almost like he was my age. Does that make sense?"

"He was like that in high school," I explained. "Almost always talking about girls, and…" I trailed off, realizing that a fuller explanation might have been in order. "See, he and I were both considered delinquents. You know my story, but he was really good at soccer, but he had a pretty…his ego…" I fumbled for the words. "…He had an ego that could be bruised too easily, so he ended up in a bunch of fights, the last one during a game in his first year of high-school, if I remember correctly. He got booted from the team, and pretty much lost his motivation to do anything useful." My eyes lost focus as I looked back into history. "I really think he could've gone far, but his own stupid ego got in his way."

"That's a shame," Ushio said sympathetically. "To have all that skill but just let it go to waste… How sad."

"Yup," I agreed, my mood having officially turned heavy.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Daddy," she giggled. "I didn't mean to bring the mood down, really."

"It's fine," I said with a shake of my head. "I have to admit; I was surprised to see him act the way he did yesterday." I shrugged, nearly spilling some egg on the table. "Oops. Anyway, last I knew he was working as a taxi driver near where his parents lived, but that's, what, ten years ago? Fifteen? No, it had to be longer than that; I think the last time I saw him was before you were born."

"That's a long time," she mused. "To not talk to someone, I mean."

"Yeah," I murmured. "Maybe I should try to find his number and give him a call. Maybe try to be a…" What did Pastor Jeff call it? "…a positive influence in his life, if nothing else."

"Do you really want to talk to him, though?" she asked with a concerned expression. "I just ask because of the way he treated Mika-senpai and the way you…protected her."

I chuckled softly. "Good choice of words. Thank you." I sighed heavily. "Do I really want to talk with him?" I sighed again. "I'd have to say 'no'. From what I saw yesterday, I don't think it's be a good idea for me to be around him right now; he's not a good influence, and I'm in kind of a…" I trailed off again, trying to find the right words. "I'm not really solid in who I am right now, so I really need to be around people who'll encourage the right things, and Sunohara isn't one of those. Like you said; when it comes to women it sounds like he's still in high school."

"Am I a good influence?" she asked with an impish grin. "Can I keep living here?"

"For now," I said with a grin of my own. "You get the 'family exemption'."

She giggled again just as my phone rang, and I checked to see that it was Kotomi. "What's she calling so early for?"

"Who is it, Daddy?"

"It's Ko-…Ichinose-sensei," I replied. "I'll send her a text to let her know that I'll call her later. What would she be calling about today?"

"Maybe she's checking up on you," Ushio suggested. "You did have an exciting day yesterday."

"Yeah, I guess that makes sense," I replied. "Pastor Jeff called to check on me while I was getting ready to come to breakfast."

"Oh, that's who you were talking to?" she said, a light bulb lighting up over her head. "I thought you were talking to yourself."

"Nope, that was the pastor."

"That was nice of him. I feel like a bad daughter, now. How are you doing? You seem okay, but…" she trailed off as she shrugged and ducked her head at the same time.

"I'm fine, all things considered," I told her. "Like I told Pastor Jeff; it's going to take me a while to sort things out, but I can already tell that I feel a lot better, more…stable."

"That's good," she said carefully. "I'm…really happy for you, but I'll admit that I'm a little nervous about what kind of person you'll become after all this."

"Me too," I quipped. "Seriously, I don't think I'm going to change a whole lot; it'll be more like…an improvement of what's already there. More good, less bad I guess."

"That's good," she repeated carefully. "Well, do your best."

"Thanks, sweetie."

We finished breakfast, and after helping clear the table I excused myself to make a phone call. Back in the relative privacy of my room I pulled out my phone and called Kotomi.

" _Tomoya-kun? Is that you?"_

"Hello, Kotomi-chan," I greeted. "Sorry I couldn't take your call. I was having breakfast with my daughter."

" _Oh! I am sorry! I did not mean to interrupt."_

"Well, you have me now," I said, smiling in mild amusement. "What can I do for you?"

" _A-Are…D-Do…"_

I listened patiently while one of Japan's greatest minds tried to put together a coherent sentence.

"… _.Do you have any plans for Friday evening?"_

"Friday evening?" In light of Mika's comment at the dance as well as my own observations I had a pretty good idea what my childhood friend had in mind. In the end I figured it was best to play along. "I don't think I have anything planned. Why?"

" _I…would like to go on a date with you."_

Even though it didn't surprise me, it still somehow took me by surprise. "A-A date. Well…I suppose… What did you have in mind?

" _I… thought that I could show you where I work and then we could have dinner, and then… Oh, wait; that is supposed to be a surprise."_

"I see," I said, feeling the need to say something. What she wanted to do didn't sound too romantic, which relieved me somewhat. "Well, that sounds good. Where do you want to meet and what time?"

" _Where do you live?"_

I blinked at her question. "Wh…Why do you ask?"

" _I would like to come pick you up. It would be much quicker than utilizing public transportation."_

"Wait… You have a car?"

" _I do. May I pick you up from your place?"_

"I…I suppose…."

" _What is your address, please?"_

I felt a little numb as I gave her the address to my apartment. It made sense that Kotomi would own a car since she was a world-renowned scientist, but the idea of it was still a little overwhelming.

After I finished giving her the address, she read it back to me to make sure she copied it correctly. _"I apologize for the inconvenience,"_ she said afterward. _"Your address was not included in your contact information, so I do not have it on my phone. May I record it there?"_

"On your phone? Um, I suppose," I said lamely, feeling a little out of my league. "Just don't share it with anyone else, okay?"

" _Of course."_ There was a longish pause, then: _"So…would six-o-clock in the evening be acceptable?"_

"That…should be fine," I replied, feeling more and more uncomfortable with the idea; after all, that was about the time that Mika would show up to make dinner, and… "I'll…be ready."

" _Wonderful! I look forward to seeing you again!"_ She sounded so excited that I felt a little bad for my discomfort. _"So, Friday at six-o-clock in the evening at your apartment?"_

"Sounds good," I said while ignoring a rock in the pit of my stomach.

" _Wonderful! I look forward to seeing you again!"_

"You said that already, but thanks," I said, tying to stifle a chuckle.

" _I did? Oh! I guess I did! Well, have a good day, Tomoya-kun."_

"You, too." I ended the call with the heaviest sigh I'd ever had and pocketed the phone as I headed back to the living room. "So, I have a 'date' with Ichinose-sensei this Friday night," I told Ushio, who was reading at the kotatsu.

"Really? That's wonderful!" she gushed as she hopped to her feet. "What will you be doing?"

"Seeing where she works, then going to dinner, then going to some kind of surprise."

"How exciting…" she breathed as she clasped her hands together. "A date with a childhood friend who's now a famous scientist…"

"I thought you wanted me to m-marry Mika or something like that," I tried reminding her.

"I do, but it's nice to be able to catch up with old friends, isn't it?" she said. "Where are you meeting?"

"Here," I said. "Apparently, she'll be picking me up in her car."

"She has a car? Wow…" Ushio seemed to be in heaven. "I'd love to see that!"

"Maybe she should take you out instead," I chuckled. "You sound more excited about it than I am."

"Maybe I am," she giggled. "I wonder what the surprise will be."

"Probably something tame," I replied. "She's pretty straight-laced, so it'll probably be the library or something like that."

"I could see that," she giggled. "We did end up going to the school library during the dance, after all."

"At least the school library'll be closed," I mused. "Though she has a key, so she could probably-"

The rest of my thought was cut off by the ringing of my phone. "You're popular today, Daddy," Ushio observed, giggling again.

"Sorry, let me get this out of the way," I said as I headed back down the hall, connecting the call as I entered my room. "Hello, this is Okazaki."

" _Okazaki,"_ greeted a new yet familiar voice. _"This is Sakagami."_

What a coincidence; first Kotomi, then the ambassador. "Good morning, Sakagami-san. What can I do for you?"

" _I'm going to be back in Hikarizaka on Saturday, and I was hoping that we could spend a couple of hours together. Will you be free between, say, one and three?"_

I hadn't even been able to plan for Saturday, so my schedule was open. I'd been hoping to be able to spend the day relaxing at home, but… "One and three, you said?"

" _That's what I said! So, you free? Lunch at a nice restaurant, and we can catch up."_

I figured that, like Kotomi, she was asking me on a date. But I liked the idea of catching up, especially after seeing Sunohara's immaturity yesterday, so… "Sure, that sounds good. Where do you want me to meet you?"

" _Your place. Would that be okay?"_

"You have a…? Oh, I guess you would, huh?" I said, impressed by my lack of insight; of course she'd have a car. "How about we meet at the train station instead?"

" _Nah, I want to see where you live."_

"I-" How was I supposed to respond to that? I really didn't want everyone to know where I lived, especially women like Kotomi and Tomoyo, who were much more well-to-do than I was. I cursed my spinelessness as I gave in and gave her my address. "Do I need to keep anything in mind for this? You know, since you are the ambassador for Japan?"

" _Just dress nice; I_ _know_ _you can do that."_

"Eh-heh. Thanks." Great; a date on Friday night, followed by a date on Saturday afternoon. My weekend was sure filling up quickly. "I'll do my best."

" _See you on Saturday then, handsome."_

"Y-Yeah; see you Saturday." I quickly ended the call and hurried from my room, resisting the urge to leave the phone behind. "That was Ambassador Sakagami," I told Ushio as I returned to the living room. "Apparently she's going to be in town on Saturday and would like to spend a couple of hours catching up, from one to three. Would that be a problem?"

"I don't think so," she replied with a shake of her head. "Wow, Daddy; your weekend's sure filling up quickly."

"My thoughts exactly," I chuckled, "Oh, well; at least I'll have Sun-"

 _ring ring_

We looked at each other and burst out laughing. "You think that's someone else, calling to ask you on a date next Sunday?" she giggled.

"I seriously hope not," I snorted, retrieving my phone from my pocket again as I headed down the hall to my room yet again. "Hello. This is Okazaki," I greeted once I was shut in my room again.

" _O-Okazaki-san?"_

"Yes, this is Okazaki," I replied, mentally double-checking my greeting. Yeah, I'd remembered to give my name. "Who is this, please?"

I heard a familiar voice in the background on the other end before the caller spoke again. _"Th…This is Fuuko."_

"Well hello, Fuuko," I greeted. "I thought I recognized your voice, but I've never heard you over the phone before so I wasn't sure."

" _I-"_

The way her voice cut out had me checking the charge on my phone; I thought I'd plugged it in before going to bed. "Fuuko-san?"

" _PLEASEGOONADATEWITHME!"_ she suddenly shouted, and I had to hold the phone away from my ear for a moment.

"You want to get together?" I asked after my ear had stopped ringing.

There was a long silence, and I could imagine her at the other end, nodding at her phone. _"Oh! Fuuko's supposed to speak!"_ At least that confirmed my suspicions. _"Y-Yes, I would like to…for us to get together."_

"When and where did you have in mind?" I asked; with the way things had been going, I had a pretty good idea of when.

" _W-Well, I have to work on Saturday, so…what about Sunday? Could we meet in the afternoon for ice cream?"_

I shook my head as I snorted quietly. "Ice cream on Sunday, huh? I could do that. Ushio and I could-"

" _NO!"_ she shouted, and I had to hold the phone away from my ear again. _"Just…us. You and Fuuko."_

Oh, well; it was worth a shot. "All right. What time?"

" _T-T-Two-thirty?"_

"That should be fine."

" _So…see you on Sunday."_ The line went dead and I chuckled, figuring that she'd forgotten to say 'goodbye' before hanging up.

I pocketed my phone as I headed back to the living room again. "So much for Sunday," I grumbled, though I couldn't stop a smile from appearing.

"What happened?" Ushio asked.

"That was Fuuko," I said while briefly showing her my phone. "She wants to get together with me on Sunday afternoon for ice cream, and-"

 _ring ring_

Ushio and I looked at each other, then at my phone. "This is ridiculous," I complained as I spun my phone to check the caller ID. "Fuuko again? Why's she…? Oh. I think I know what this is about. This shouldn't take long," I told my daughter while giving her an apologetic look.

"Go ahead," she said, apparently enjoying my situation.

I sighed as I tapped the screen to take the call. "Hello? This is Okazaki."

" _O-Okazaki-san?"_

"Yes, this is Okazaki," I replied, hoping that it wouldn't be a repeat of our prior conversation.

" _I'm sorry!"_ Fuuko sounded like she was in tears. _"I didn't mean to hang up on you without saying 'goodbye' first! Fuuko was just nervous!"_

"Don't worry about it," I said as I gave Ushio a knowing smile, which she returned. "You must have been pretty wound up, huh?"

" _Y-Yeah."_

"Well, thanks for calling back," I said. "See you on Sunday?"

" _Y-Yeah."_

"All right, then; have a good week."

" _Y-Yeah. See you on Sunday. Bye-bye."_

I sighed as I hung up the phone and looked to Ushio, who was grinning at me again. "Well, there goes my weekend."

"You don't sound too disappointed," she remarked.

"What do you mean?"

She ducked her head, almost looking like she was shrugging. "Well, you could have said 'no' to any of them, but you didn't. Maybe some small part of you wants to go on dates?"

"Maybe," I snorted, "but not likely. I just figure I'll look at it as catching up on old times, and they can look at them as dates if they want to. I'm not planning on encouraging them that way."

"You weren't planning on encouraging Mika-senpai either, but-" She cut herself off as though she caught herself saying something bad. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to be disrespectful."

"No, it's fine," I sighed, running my fingers through my hair; I was really due to a visit to the barbershop. "You've got a point, after all; I guess I've always had a blind spot when it comes to the feelings of women. At least, when those feelings are about me," I added with an awkward grin, causing her to giggle.

"Maybe that's what causes girls to fall for you; they have to work harder to get your attention, so they end up…" her face scrunched up cutely as she tried to finish her thought.

Fortunately, I had an idea what she was trying to say. "Are you saying that they end up more invested because of how long it takes to get it through my thick skull?"

"I wouldn't say you have a thick skull," she giggled, "but otherwise, yeah; I think that's what I'm trying to say."

"I hadn't thought of that before," I mused. "I mean, I've heard about it with other guys at work, but I never thought of it applying to me."

"It's…just a thought," she said, ducking her head again.

"No, it's a good one," I said, trying to encourage her. "Thanks; I'll keep that in mind next weekend."

"You don't want to end up with a harem, Daddy?" she asked in an obviously teasing tone.

"Watch your mouth, sweetie," I scolded gently. "Besides, that kind of thing only happens in video games and anime."

"I could see it happening with you, though," she said, looking around nervously. "After all, you're very handsome and kind and…" She grew quiet, looking down at her lap, and it occurred to me that she might have still been dealing some residual feelings from…before. "Anyway, if Mom and Ichinose-sensei and Sakagami-san and Fuuko-san…and Fujibayashi-sensei and Mika-senpai's mom all liked you at the same time, couldn't that say something about the kind of guy you were?"

"Ushio, I'm done talking about this," I said with a raised hand. Part of what bugged me was that she had a point; while I didn't know everyone's love life back in high school, if some guy had a bunch of girls after him then I was sure to hear about it, at least in the form of Sunohara's whining. "I love your mom – my wife – and that's all that matters right now."

"Yes, Daddy," she sulked appropriately.

"Do you have any plans for today?" I asked, trying to change the subject to something more…not the current subject.

"Well, some of my friends will be here this afternoon to work on our summer studies."

"They still do that, huh?" It seemed so long ago that I was blowing off my studies, summer or otherwise. "Wait, did you say 'this afternoon'?"

"Yeah, I did," she said, looking across the kotatsu at me with a puzzled expression. "Didn't I talk to you about that?"

"Not that I can recall," I said, even as I searched my memory.

"I'm sorry!" she cried with a look of horror. "Should I call everyone back and cancel?"

"Naw," I grunted. "It's for school, and I don't have anything planned here today, anyway; I'll figure out somewhere to go and amuse myself."

"If you say so…"

I shrugged with my right shoulder; it felt great. "If you want me to stick around for some reason, I guess I could hide in my room and read. I think that a group of high school…students…" I trailed off as I thought of the implications of having a group of teens of either sex in my home. "Right, I'll read in my room."

"Thanks, Daddy. Most of them are okay, but Marika-san and Seiko-san can be…"

"Unruly?"

"They like to talk about boys a lot," she said with an embarrassed smile. "It can be kind of distracting."

"I'll bet." I sighed with another shrug. "Well, I don't know how I'm supposed to keep them on-topic, but if you want me to stick around…"

"I do."

"Then you can count on me," I said, thumping my chest; the movement and resulting sensation brought back memories… "What time are they supposed to be here?"

"After lunch, about one-thirty." She gave me an affectionate smile. "Thank you, Daddy. I'm sorry if I've caused problems for you."

"Nothing I can't adjust to," I said, returning her smile. Then, I clapped my hands on my knees. "Well, maybe we should plan our lunch, then?"

"Sounds great," she said as we got to our feet and headed to the kitchen.

We planned our lunch, then spent the rest of the morning tidying up the apartment for our guests. After that, we had an uneventful yet tasty lunch and then waited for the first of Ushio's friends to arrive. "I'll hide in my room after the first one gets here," I told Ushio.

"Okay, but I'm sure they'd all want to thank you for letting us use your home."

"I appreciate that, but I think you're the one who pointed out that I have a particular…effect...on teenage girls," I reminded her, then nodded at the paling of her face. "Yeah. I'm gonna make myself scarce."

"U-Understood, Daddy."

It was about twenty-five minutes after one when the first girl arrived. "Okazaki-sama!" Kumiko squealed when I opened the door, and it looked like she had to stop herself from hugging me; fortunately, the covered bowl she held kept her from doing anything potentially embarrassing. "I-It's good to see you again."

"Thanks," I said, not sure what to think of her outburst. "Come on in; Ushio's been looking forward to this."

"Kumiko!" Ushio squealed as she carefully grabbed her friend by the arm to drag her into our home. I smiled as I saw the two of them chatting as they settled by the kotatsu; I could remember when my daughter had less-than-kind things to say about her friend.

It then fully registered that Kumiko had brought a bowl with her. "Hey, Ushio? Could I talk to you in the kitchen for a minute?"

"Sure, Daddy!" she chirped as she hopped up to follow me.

Once we were in the kitchen and hopefully out of earshot of our guest I asked, "Did you need food for this? I saw that Kumiko-san brought a bowl."

"The others are bringing snacks," she told me. "I bought some a few days ago and was about to get up to get them when you called me."

"Ah," I said, satisfied. "Go ahead then, and have fun."

"Thanks!" she chirped before skipping out of the kitchen and down the hallway.

I smiled to myself as I left the kitchen myself, and after exchanging a wave with Kumiko I headed down the hall to my room, where I settled into my reading corner with my latest obsession. I barely noticed the living room becoming noisier and noisier, and I assumed that more of my daughter's friends had arrived.

I was then surprised by a knock at my bedroom door. "Just a minute," I replied as I grunted to my feet to head over to my door and slide it partly open. "Hey, Sweetie; what'cha need?"

"Sorry to bother you, Daddy," she said as she shifted from foot to foot. "Sachi-senpai would like to say 'hi', if that's okay."

"Sachi-san?" I blinked. "Isn't she one of Mika's friends?"

"Yeah," she said with a nod.

"Then what's she doing here?"

"Helping us with our studies," Ushio replied. "Mika-senpai should be here in a bit, but Sachi-senpai got here first."

"I see," I said, caught off-guard by the revelation. "Well, it's good to have upperclassmen who are willing to help out. Anyway, sure; where is she?"

Ushio looked back down the hall and beckoned with her hand. "Down here, senpai!"

A moment later, Mika's blue-haired friend appeared before me. "Ushio-san? May I speak with your dad privately for a minute?"

My daughter glanced from one of us to the other before giving me a knowing smile. "Okay, but just a minute; he's my dad, after all."

"Of course," Sachi replied, though she looked as confused as I felt. Once Ushio was headed back to the living room she turned back to me. "I want to apologize for the way I acted at the dance," she said. "I…" She sighed in such a way that it blew her bangs upward. "This was so much easier in practice."

"Take your time," I said, using my best fatherly voice, though I had a pretty good idea what she was going to say. "I can see that whatever it is is really bothering you."

"No shit," she uttered, then clapped her hand over her mouth. "Sorry."

"Just take your time and say what you need to," I said reassuringly.

"Okay," she said, dropping her hand from her mouth to knot her fingers. "The thing is; I haven't been able to stop thinking about you since the dance."

I was about to ask 'Why?' but realized that it could end up making her more nervous than she already was, so I kept my mouth shut.

"I-It was your eyes," she continued while averting her own. "I saw that they were kind and intense and…" She bit her lip. "I think I understand at least part of what Mika sees in you."

"Thanks, I think," I dared to say.

She chuckled awkwardly. "Look, the only reason I'm telling you all this is because I needed to get it off my chest; to give disclosure while getting closure. I'm sorry if all this makes you uncomfortable."

"It does," I admitted. "But do you feel better now that you're telling me this?"

"I do," she nodded. "Listen, I know it's not my place to ask, but… If you end up wanting a wife, I'm asking you to consider Mika."

I blinked. "I'm surprised to hear you say that. I mean, the age difference and…" I gestured awkwardly toward her.

"Yeah," she croaked, looking down at the floor. "Well, I wouldn't feel right, trying to take you away from Mika… If that makes any sense."

"I think so."

"Good." She straightened, meeting my gaze. "Just for the sake of disclosure and closure; I like you, Okazaki-san, and would love to date you. That being said, I respect the age difference as well as your likely lingering attachment to your late wife. Further, to pursue you would put me at odds with one of my best friends, who basically found you first." She bowed somewhat stiffly. "Thank you for hearing my confession."

I blinked several times as I worked on my response. "That…has to be the most articulate confession I've ever heard," I finally said. "Thank you for telling me, and…I admire your courage in coming to me like this."

"Thank you," she said, then grinned impishly. "Do you get a lot of confessions, then? You can tell me; I wouldn't be surprised in the least."

"Lately, yes, sadly," I replied. "Most of them have been…" I trailed off as I realized that I was about to blab some very embarrassing and personal information.

"They've been teenagers, haven't they?" Sachi said with a sympathetic smile. Damn, that girl was perceptive. "Among other things, your pause gave it away."

I shook my head with a sigh. "Am I really that easy to read?"

"Not really," she said with a headshake of her own. "My dad's a detective, and I've picked up some of his knowledge."

"I see," I said, suddenly feeling nervous. "You're not going to tell him that I'm some kind of pedophile or anything, are you?"

"No way!" she laughed. "Wrong age category; pedophilia refers to a preference for prepubescent children. Besides, Mika and I were the ones to confess to you, right?"

"R-Right."

She seemed to gain confidence, her prior nervousness all but gone. "So we don't have any reliable means for determining your age preference, right?"

"R-" I caught myself realizing the gap in her knowledge. "Actually, we do."

"What do you mean?" she asked, narrowing her eyes at me.

"My wife, Nagisa, was a year older than me," I said triumphantly, feeling good for being able to get at least one over on the bespectacled girl.

"Ooo, good point," she conceded, putting the side of her finger to her mouth. "But you were both teenagers at the time, right?"

"Right."

"Hmm. But that doesn't help determine your likely strike zone now," she mused.

"'Strike zone'? They still use that word?"

"Yeah," she replied, looking puzzled. "Why? Did they use it when you were in high school?"

"Yeah, we did," I said. "That's pretty neat; we use some of the same words."

"I guess some things age well," she said while giving me a sly smile. "You would know, right?"

"Anyway," I said, trying to get the attention away from that particular aspect of myself, "I don't qualify for a strike zone 'cause I'm not looking for a wife." I had the odd feeling that I was lying, but it was all I had.

The blue-haired teenager's expression told me that she likely saw right through my words. "Fair enough. Anyway, I've taken enough of your time. I apologize for the intrusion as well as any discomfort I've caused you."

"Don't worry about it," I said casually. "For what it's worth, it's good to see you again, and thanks for being willing to help my daughter and her friends with their studies."

"My pleasure." I felt more than saw her give me a once-over. "It's good to see you too, and…please consider giving Mika a chance."

"I'll…keep that in mind," I promised, though I didn't know how well I'd be able to keep that promise.

"Thank you. Enjoy your book, and I hope you have a great day." With that she bowed before heading back down the hallway to rejoin the others, so I headed back to my corner and slid to the floor with a grunt and retrieved my book again.

I'd read a dozen pages or so before there was another knock at my door. "Just a minute, please."

I opened the door to find Mika on the other side, holding a plate of food. "Good afternoon, Okazaki-sama," she greeted with a bow.

"Good afternoon," I said as I returned the gesture. "Thanks for helping Ushio and her friends with their studies."

"My pleasure!" she chirped, then held out the plate toward me. "I brought this for you."

"Thanks," I replied as I took it from her. "Is this okay, though? I'm not part of your study group."

"It's fine," she said in a reassuring tone. "All of us put this together for you to thank you for letting us use your home."

"Well, Ushio kinda surprised me with it, but I'm glad I could help."

"I heard," she replied with a giggle. Then she looked up at me with her cringe-inducing Smile of Adoration. "I…wanted to see you."

I half-snorted, half-chuckled. "You already see me every day, Mika. What's so special about right now?"

He shifted her weight from one foot to the other. "I've…been worried about you since yesterday. You went through a lot of things I don't think I'll ever understand, and you had those girls – women, I mean – saying that they liked you, and…"

Ah, so that was it. "I'm fine, but thank you for thinking of me."

"Wh-When is your next shoulder appointment?"

"Huh?" I wasn't ready for the abrupt subject change, and it took me a moment to realize what she was talking about. "Oh! I have one the Saturday after next. If all goes well, it should be my last."

"Awesome…" she breathed, and I realized that I'd never heard her use that particular word before. "M-May I ac-company you?"

"You want to come with me?"

She said nothing, but nodded as a blush crept across her face.

I mulled over her request; I figured I knew the real reason why she wanted to go with me, but it made sense for her to go since she'd gone to the trouble to prepare a diet based on my shoulder situation. So… "Sure," I answered, scratching my head. "You make dinner for me, so it might be a good idea for you to be there."

"You're right!" she squealed, her eyes lighting up. "I could ask questions to help refine my menu!"

"S-Sure," I stammered, uncomfortable with the situation I'd put myself into.

"So, Saturday after next?" she asked, her eyes almost glowing.

"Y-Yeah…"

"What time?"

"T-Ten…"

"Great!" she chirped. "What time should I be here?"

"I usually leave around eight-thirty."

"Great!" she chirped again. "I'll check the train schedule and figure out what time to be at my station. Oh, and don't worry..." she said, giving me a sly look, "…I'll be able to find you on the train. I have before, right?"

"R-Right…"

"This is so exciting!" she squealed, reaching toward my hands before apparently catching herself. "It'll be like I'm your wife, supporting you through your recovery. Though I guess I've been doing that anyway, now that I think of it." She clasped her hands behind her back, accentuating her ample chest-GAH! as she bounced on the balls of her feet. "Thank you, Okazaki-sama this really means a lot to me. I love you."

"Y-You're welcome," I managed as I tried to ignore a twinge in my chest.

She bowed with a giggle before heading down the hall back to the living room. I slid the door shut and put a hand over my chest to try to make the twinge go away. I t wasn't painful or anything like that. It was like…

It was like my heart had just been filled, even if only a little.


	33. High-Tech 'Date'

**Chapter Thirty-Three: High-Tech 'Date'**

Fortunately, the week went by pretty smoothly, and I found myself at Friday before I knew it. It had also been relatively relaxing since I hadn't been bothered by the dreams that I'd been having, which was a great relief and had me feeling well-rested. I figured I'd need all the strength I could muster for my weekend of 'dates', so I was glad for my much-needed rest.

As usual, Mika came over to prepare dinners for me, but I noticed that she seemed to get more and more upset as the week progressed, which wasn't too surprising considering that I would be seeing three different women over the weekend. At first I wasn't sure what to say to her about it or even if I needed to say anything about it, considering that our relationship was kinda one-sided. In the end I decided not to say anything about it since I wasn't seeing any of the get-togethers as dates, regardless of what Kotomi and the others may have been hoping for.

"Are you excited about tonight?" Ushio asked eagerly as I checked my face in the mirror one last time.

"I wouldn't say I'm excited, but I am looking forward to finding out what she's been up to since high school," I replied as I finished up, looking over to give her my full attention. "We only met a couple of times in high school; most of my memories are from our childhood. When we were about eight, I mean."

"I see…"

"I know that she took up her parents' research after she graduated from Hikarizaka – they died shortly after we met, I think – so she's been doing stuff with string theory or something like that."

"That sounds amazing," Ushio breathed. "I don't think I could ever do something that amazing."

"Well, she's a natural genius," I said. "We all have our own strengths. If yours isn't in science, then that's perfectly fine; it just means that your strength is in something else."

"Thanks, Daddy," she beamed as we left the wash room. "I think my strength is going to be in being a mother, just like Mom."

I was about to point out that her mother never really had the chance to be a mother but stopped myself; I didn't want to be needlessly hurtful, after all.

"I know she never really had the chance to be a mother to me, but you told me she worked so hard to take care of me when I was in her womb, and really hard to give birth to me. That tells me that she really cared for me and wanted the best for me. I want to be like that for my children."

"Yeah, she thought the world of you," I told her, a little unnerved by her insight. Had she been reading my inner dialogue? "She was really looking forward to meeting you. It's a shame that….yeah."

"Yeah…" she murmured as we settled into our usual places at the kotatsu to wait. "So, um, Ichinose-sensei's supposed to pick you up at six?"

I smiled to myself; it was obvious that she was trying to lighten the mood by changing the subject, not that I minded. "That's right. Remember: I'm not sure when I'll be home 'cause of how much she has planned, but I shouldn't be back any later than about ten." I sent her a lopsided smile. "There's only so much we can do around here, after all."

Our conversation was interrupted by a knock at the door, and my daughter gave me a puzzled look. "Did you invite someone over, Daddy?"

"As a matter of fact, I did," I said, smiling as I got up to head to the door. "I trust you to be alone by yourself, but I thought you might like some company while I'm gone."

"Oooh, who is it?" she asked eagerly as she hopped up and followed me.

I simply held my smile as I answered the door.

"Hey, Tomoya," Kyou greeted before I could get a word out. "Thanks for inviting me o-"

"SENSEI!" Ushio squealed as she threw herself at her beloved teacher. "OHMYGOSH! It's been so long!"

"Yes, it has!" my former sparring partner laughed as she hugged the squirming teenager. "We'll have some girl time while your dad goes out and gets flirted with."

"Ouch," I winced. "What was that for?"

"Well," she said, flipping her hair as my daughter released her, "you had a chance with me but blew it." She raised her hands in a shrug, reminding me of how she used to act back in high school. "Now that Jeff's got me, you'll have to make do with leftovers."

"Oh, no," I deadpanned. "Whatever shall I do?"

She gave me an incredulous look before whapping me on the shoulder. "You jerk!" she laughed. "Seriously, though; I remember what you told me when you asked me to come over, and I really do hope you have a good time."

"Thanks," I grunted as I rubbed where she'd hit me. "I'm not too worried about tonight since it's Kotomi-chan; she's too…"

"Naïve?" Kyou suggested.

"Not exactly, but close enough," I said. "Anyway, my point is that she's not likely to try anything funny. I'm more worried about Sakagami-san; I remember her being more on the aggressive side…"

"She sure seemed that way at your session," Kyou noted.

"…so I'm concerned that if she likes me she'll be more likely to…act on it."

"I know boys at school who would love to have your problem, Daddy," Ushio giggled.

"He almost did have that problem back when we were in high school," Kyou quipped as she studied me. "Were your dad the type, he could have had his own harem back then."

"Kyou…" I warned as I heard Ushio gasp.

"Do you want the list again?" she countered as she held up her hands as though to start counting.

"No," I grunted. "I just want to find out how Kotomi, Sakagami, and Fuuko have been doing and be done with it."

She gave me a knowing smile. "Now, you know you won't get away with it that easily."

"I'll deal with it if it happens," I told her as I glanced up at the clock. "In the meantime, please stop teasing me. My friend should be here soon, and I'd like some of my wits for our time together."

She studied me for a moment before smiling and clapping me on the shoulder again. "All right, sorry. Seriously though, remember what I've said, okay? Just because you don't see it as a date doesn't mean that they won't."

"I know."

"Good boy." We then looked to the door at the sound of knocking. "Sounds like you're up. Good luck, killer."

"Thanks," I said, then sighed heavily as I opened the door to the sight of my old friend. "Good evening, Kotomi-chan; good to see you again."

One of Japan's greatest minds trembled on my front porch. "G-G-Good evening, T-Tomoya-kun."

I gave a smile to try to put her at ease. "Just give me a minute and I'll have my shoes on."

"O-Okay."

I got my shoes on and straightened to smile at my old friend. "I'm ready to go."

"B-Before we go…"

"Yes?"

She knotted her fingers a couple of times before looking past me. "Ushio-chan? You are Tomoya-kun's daughter, are you not?"

"She is," Kyou interjected; apparently she'd popped into Kotomi's line-of-sight. "Why?"

"I…"

"Down, Kyou," I said, turning to give her a smirk. "She's harmless; let her talk to Ushio."

She bristled, presumably at me addressing her like a dog, but stepped aside. "All right, but we're talking later, Master."

I raised defensive hands, shifting from a smirk to what I hoped was a disarming smile before turning back to my old friend. "What's up?"

She turned to gesture to a yellow VW Beetle convertible behind her. "I…have a computer…in my car…for Ushio-chan."

I remembered our conversation from before so I looked over my shoulder again, this time at my daughter. "Well, Ushio? Ichinose-sensei's offering you a computer. Are you interested?"

"Absolutely!" she exclaimed as she joined me at the door. "Thank you so much, Ichinose-sensei!"

"It…is one of our older machines, so…it…is not as powerful as our current machines," Kotomi stammered as her cheeks darkened, "but I hope that you can use it."

"I'm pretty sure it's faster than whatever we have right now," I quipped, and I could hear Kyou snort from behind me. "Did you want me to bring it in?"

"If you would, please; I am not very strong, so I asked some of the men at the lab to put it in my car."

"Come on, Ushio," I said over my shoulder as I headed toward the bright yellow vehicle. "I'm sure there's something in here you could carry."

"On it, commander!" she chirped as she skipped to the car. "Woooowww…. What a beautiful car!"

"Th-thank you," Kotomi said as she walked with me to her car. "I have always admired German engineering, and one of my coworkers recommended the color because…" She paused as we stopped by the Beetle. "…he said something about bright colors helping with any depression I might have."

"It certainly is bright," Ushio noted as she squinted at the sunlight reflected off the paint.

My old friend nodded once before reaching out to unlock the door. "The computer and monitor are in the back seat," she told us.

It took a couple of trips, but the three of us managed to get everything inside. "Where do you want this thing put together?" Kyou asked. "I know enough to be able to hook up the cabling and stuff."

"Why don't you put it in Ushio's room?" I said. "It's for her, anyway; I wouldn't be interested in using it."

"Got it, Master," Kyou replied, giving me a salute.

"All right, Kyou; sorry about that," I grumbled. "I spoke before I thought, okay?"

"I forgive you," she replied while dropping her hand. "It really didn't bother me that much, though; I just liked having the chance to tease you."

"Fair enough," I grunted.

"Are…Are we ready to go, then?" Kotomi asked, shifting her weight from foot to foot while knotting her fingers; impressive coordination, when I thought about it.

"Anything either of you need from me before I go?" I asked those who would be left behind.

Kyou and Ushio looked at each other before smiling at me. "I think we're good," Kyou announced. "Have fun, you two."

"Thanks. Have fun with your new computer, sweetie."

"Thank you, Daddy," my daughter beamed.

I followed Kotomi back out to her car and headed around to the passenger side while she unlocked her door. She got in and I heard a *click* from my door, which I took as my cue to open the door and get in. I couldn't remember ever being in a car before, so I'd either never been in a car or I'd been too young to remember. In any case, it wasn't lost on me that I was about to do something new.

"Please fasten your seatbelt," I heard Kotomi request as I looked around the interior of her car.

"Why? Are you a speed demon or something?" I quipped as I reached over my shoulder for the strap.

"Not at all!" she gasped, sounding horrified. "It is required by Japanese law!"

"Calm down, Kotomi-chan; I was joking," I said as I struggled with the belt.

"It is fastened like this," she said as she carefully took the unruly strap and wrapped it across me, locking the buckle into place. I felt more than a little embarrassed. "There. Does that feel secure? Is it too tight?"

"It's fine…I think," I replied, giving the belt a couple of experimental tugs.

Apparently satisfied, she nodded before starting the engine. "May I request an adjustment to our itinerary?" she asked as we pulled away from the apartment.

"I don't have a problem with it," I said with a shrug. "Why? Is there a problem?"

"I failed to account for the time of day when I planned our itinerary," she explained; I was grateful for context since I didn't know what 'itinerary' meant. "I would like to go to dinner first, then to the lab, and finally to…" she slapped a hand over her mouth. "…to the surprise."

"I don't have a problem with it," I repeated. "I thought we'd end up having dinner kinda late, so I'm glad to hear you bring it up. Where are we going to eat?"

She gave the name of a high-class restaurant, and I felt my wallet cringe. "I thought it would be a good place for us to reminisce. We have not seen each other in so long, and I thought of only the best for you."

"That sounds…great, but…I can't afford something that nice. I mean, you see that I live in an apartment, right? It's nowhere near as nice as your house. Or your parents' house, I mean."

"I still live there," she told me. "After Mommy and Daddy died, the house was signed over to me, though I did not know it until after graduating from high school. Prior to that, I gave the matter no thought, as my guardian was taking care of things for me."

"How long did you live by yourself?"

"From the time I was eight until the present," she replied. "I am, however, hoping to change that shortly."

"Ah," I said, suddenly feeling uncomfortable. "You, uh, looking to adopt a pet? A dog?"

"N-No," she said, and even in the fluctuating light I could see her cheeks darken.

I wasn't sure what to say after that so I looked out the window and watched the scenery go by. We went from run-down homes and apartments to a nicer area with more homes and trees, and finally into the city, with more lights and more people. Finally, we pulled up in front of a large hotel, and I looked up in awe at row upon row of windows, many of them lit up. "This is a nice place," I said. "Is the restaurant inside?"

"It is," she replied as she stopped by the front door and shut off the engine.

"You're not parking right in front of their front doors, are you?" I asked, feeling a little self-conscious at the glances we were getting.

"Of course not!" she exclaimed as a young man wearing what appeared to be the hotel's uniform jogged up to the car. "Junichiro-kun will park the car for me."

"Who?"

"Good evening, Ichinose-sensei!" the young man greeted as he accepted the keys from my old friend. "It's good to see you again!"

"And you as well," Kotomi replied as we got out of the car. "How are your studies progressing?"

"Not as well as I'd like," he replied sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his head.

"You are applying yourself to your studies, I hope?" I heard her ask in a somewhat admonishing tone as I rounded the front of the Beetle to join them, and I saw that she'd narrowed her eyes ever so slightly at him.

"Y-Yes, ma'am!" he nearly yelped as he worked on scooting around her to take charge of the car. "I've been studying hard, honest!"

"Very well," she sniffed. "I will accept your word as true, and wish you success in your studies."

"Thank you, ma'am!" he replied, saved by the arrival of another vehicle behind ours. "Please excuse me; I need to make room for the next customer!"

I gave the flustered kid a wave as I opened the door for Kotomi. "You were kinda rough on him, don't you think?" I asked after we had entered what appeared to be the lobby for the hotel. "He's just a kid, isn't he?"

She turned to face me fully, and I felt a little intimidated by the look in her eyes. "Junichiro-kun and I have had many conversations regarding his career aspirations. He understands what he needs to do to accomplish his goals; I am simply assisting him in keeping proper focus on the long term."

"Okay, sorry," I said, holding up my hands. "I didn't mean to stick my nose in your business; I was just kinda feeling sorry for him."

She appeared to study me for a moment. Then, she sighed. "Very well; I shall reassess the manner in which I interact with him. I do not wish to cause him needless distress and potentially distract him from his efforts."

I blinked several times as I tried to process her words. "Um, thanks? I really wasn't trying to change your mind or anything. You know that, right?"

"I do," she replied. "But…I will admit that I have been concerned that I may have been harsher with him than necessary; having not become a mother yet I am uncertain how to properly encourage the younger generations."

"I...could see that."

"That is why I am deferring to your judgment in this matter; you have had sixteen years of child-rearing experience, and I believe that accounts for something."

"Well, eleven actually," I grunted. At her puzzled look I quickly added, "I'll explain over dinner, okay?"

"Very well. Shall we go, then?"

"Lead the way," I replied, gesturing to her. She nodded once before leading me down one of the many hallways leading from the lobby. On the way, I saw several of the staff stop and bow to her. "You're pretty famous around here, aren't you?" I remarked.

"Not at all," she replied as a passing cleaning lady stopped to bow to her. "I just like to come here to eat every once in a while. I like this place because it allows me a connection to my parents."

"What do you mean?"

She glanced over her shoulder at me as a bellboy stopped to bow. "They went here on several dates, and they brought me here several times when I was a little girl."

"That's pretty neat," I remarked. "But…does this place seem the same as back then?"

"No," she said sadly with a shake of her head. "However, in spite of all the changes I still feel Mommy and Daddy's presence here. I feel…connected." She glanced over her shoulder again. "I am sorry if that seemed incomprehensible."

"No, I think I get it," I replied. "It's like when Ushio and I were talking about visiting the old Theater Club room; even though there's nothing there to show that Nagisa was ever there, just knowing that she was there…" I raised my hand in a shrug, unsure how to finish my sentence.

"I believe you do understand," she said as we came up to a door with a small podium next to it, where a well-dressed gentleman stood, writing on something. "Good evening, sir; I have a reservation for two people."

He glanced up at Kotomi, then blinked in recognition. "Ah, Ichinose-sensei!" he exclaimed with a smile as he gave us his full attention. "Of course! Welcome! It's a pleasure to have you back in our humble establishment!"

"Humble?" I murmured to myself as I looked around at the fanciness of the place.

"Follow me, if you please," he said, gesturing to the doorway before leading us through it and into the restaurant proper.

We walked past several tables on our way, and I noticed that everyone already seated was dressed a lot nicer than I was. A lot nicer. I felt a little out of my league as our host stopped at a table barely large enough for two people. "Does this meet with your satisfaction, Ichinose-sensei?" I heard him ask. "Or would you prefer a larger table?"

"This table is perfect, thank you," she replied as she moved to take one of the seats.

As I took the back on my chair to pull it out, our host stopped me with a touch to my arm. "Just so you understand; I am not normally permitted to allow someone with your…fashion sense…to dine in our establishment, but you are with Ichinose-sensei so I'm giving you a pass," he informed me. He didn't seem to me to be a snob, just…'concerned' was the only word I could think of.

"Um…thanks?" I managed before quickly settling into my seat.

"Your server will be along shortly," he informed us before bowing and heading back to the front, presumably back to his podium.

"Please order whatever you would like," my old friend told me as she picked up her menu. "If I may, I would recommend…" She rattled off a couple of names that I didn't recognize, since they were in another language. "I have had those before, and they are quite delicious."

"I'm…glad," I said, not sure how else to respond. "What are they? I don't even know what you just said to me."

She gave me a puzzled look, and then blinked in what appeared to be realization. "Oh, I am sorry! Those names are in French, and that language was not part of the curricula, was it?"

"I don't know," I admitted with an increasing sense of awkwardness. "I know I didn't study French back then."

"I am sorry!" she repeated, then studied me with a bashful expression which actually looked pretty cute. "Can…Can you read the menu?"

"Huh?" I opened my menu to a bunch of gibberish. "I…guess not," I replied, feeling humiliated.

"Oh, no!" she lamented. "I did not mean to cause you distress! I wanted to eat someplace nice with you!"

"Well, It looks like you made the right choice from what I can tell," I said, looking around awkwardly. "I'm sorry that I'm not…up to your level."

"That is not true!" she exclaimed. "You are…wonderful."

I chuckled softly at her praise. "I hope you'll understand that…I don't feel too 'wonderful' right now," I said, looking around again.

"Would you be willing to eat with me regardless?"

"Huh?" I asked with a blink; what an odd question. "Well, sure, but…are you okay eating with me?"

She gave me another puzzled look. "Of course. I did invite you here, did I not?"

It then hit me how ridiculous I was sounding. "You did. Sorry about that; I guess I feel out-of-place around all these people dressed so nice."

"I am sorry to hear that," she replied with a soft smile. "If there is anything I can do to…make you feel more comfortable, please let me know."

"Thanks," I said as I averted my eyes, only to find the gibberish again. "Um, could you help me figure out what to order? Like I said; I can't read the menu."

My eyes widened as her face positively lit up. "I would love to!" she exclaimed, then ducked her head bashfully at several disapproving glances sent our way. "Would you prefer chicken, pork, fish, or something else?"

My face scrunched as I thought. "I like them all, but…I guess I feel like chicken tonight."

"You do not look like a chicken, Tomoya-kun," she giggled, then her expression turned serious as she studied me again. "You are definitely not a chicken…"

"Hey, Kotomi-chan," I said, waving a hand between us. "You okay there?"

"Huh?" she blinked, and for the briefest moment I thought I saw an actual question mark over her head. "Oh! Chicken! Of course…" She quickly redirected her gaze to her menu. "Of course…"

She helped me figure out what to order, and I managed to mimic the strange-sounding language to our server when she arrived. "Thank you," our server said as she collected our menus. "Your orders should be out in ten to fifteen minutes."

"That gives us some time to talk," Kotomi said, scooting closer to the table as our server departed. "What have you been doing since high school?"

I sighed heavily. How was I supposed to answer that question, especially coming from someone as…accomplished as Kotomi? "Well…not much, really; after graduation I found work as an electrician, working with Yoshino Yuusuke. You remember him from the session, right?"

"Ah, yes; he was the musician whom you inspired, correct?"

"Y-Yeah." I'd forgotten about that. "Anyway, Nagisa and I moved in together while I worked and she finished her last year of high school."

"She had to repeat her third year; am I correct?"

"Yeah. So we moved in together and eventually married. It wasn't too long after that that we found out she was pregnant." I paled, realizing what my statement implied, but Kotomi didn't seem fazed by it so I continued. "Anyway, we did the whole 'expecting couple' thing, visiting the doctor regularly and stuff until it was time for Ushio to be born. Mom Furukawa and the midwife were there, and…yeah." I looked to the side as I scratched my nose in anticipation of the pressure behind my eyes. Surprisingly, it didn't come. "Huh; that's weird."

"I am sorry for your loss," Kotomi said quietly. "I am glad that…you could still be with Ushio-chan."

"Thanks," I murmured, still puzzled over my lack of reaction. "Yeah, after Nagisa died – that's so weird – I basically gave Ushio to Nagisa's parents so I could fall apart."

"What is 'so weird', Tomoya-kun?" she asked. "You have spoken of something 'weird' twice already."

"Oh, uh…" I chuckled awkwardly. "It's just that…ever since I met Pastor Jeff and talked with him about Nagisa, I've been feeling less and less grief over her death. It's weird…"

"I am happy for you," she said, though she sounded reserved about it. "I have yet to recover from my grief over the loss of my parents."

"Maybe you could talk to Jeff?" I carefully suggested.

She appeared to mull over my words, and it looked like she might have been experiencing her loss again. "Per…Perhaps I should," she finally said. "Thirty years is a long time to hold onto grief."

"I think I know what you mean," I said with a sympathetic smile.

She studied me for a moment before a smile spread across her own face. "Yes, I suppose you would. But I would like to hear more of your story."

"Sure. Where was I?"

"I believe you were falling apart," she said helpfully.

"Right! Anyway, I knew I wasn't up to raising a kid so Mom and Pops took care of her while I worked, smoked, and drank myself stupid…kinda like my dad, really." He and I weren't that different, were we? "I finally pulled myself together enough when she was about five so I took custody of her again. I've been raising her ever since."

"And you appear to have done so wonderfully," she said, her eyes nearly shining as she leaned forward in her seat. "She's a lovely young woman, both in appearance and in character."

"You talked to her at the lunch, then?"

"I did," she nodded. "She had nothing but wonderful things to say about you, about how you loved her and took such wonderful care of her. She believes that she has the character that she does because of you."

"Well… Like I said: Mom and Pops Furukawa had her for her first five years," I told her. "I was an absent father for her early formative years."

"Granted, but her loveliness cannot be solely due to their influence," she countered. "True, you missed her early years, but from what I understand you more than made up for it after you assumed responsibility for her."

"I…felt like I had a lot to make up for," I admitted.

"And you did so, and wonderfully," she said, smiling as she leaned forward even more, resting her elbows in the table and her chin in her hands.

Fortunately I was saved from her amorous expression by the arrival of our server. She placed our meals on the table with the usual announcements, thankfully forcing Kotomi to sit up again. "Please let me know if there's anything else I can do for you," she told us as she bowed. "Otherwise, please enjoy your meal."

"Thank you very much," Kotomi replied before I could open my mouth. As our server headed to another table she said, "What a lovely young lady."

We put our hands together and thanked someone for the dinner before diving in.

"So, what have you been up to for the last decade-and-a-half?" I asked as I worked on picking up a piece of chicken with my chopsticks. "Based on what Mika's told me, you're a scientist at some lab and specialize in string theory."

"That is correct," she replied in a tight voice. "But before I begin: What is your relationship with the Hiiragi girl?"

"Right, I forgot to tell you about that," I said. "Actually, I think I mentioned it at the session, but… A few months ago I reinjured my right shoulder and ended up in the hospital. While I was there, some doctors offered me an experimental treatment that could give me my range of motion back."

"Ah, I believe I heard about that," she remarked. "Drs. Fujibayashi, Mori, and Miyamoto?"

"You know them?" I asked in disbelief.

"Only in passing," she replied. "They conferred with our medical research department regarding the tissue stimulator."

"Huh," I grunted. "Small world."

"But what does this have to do with Hiiragi-chan?" she asked, looking puzzled.

"I'm getting there," I said with a raised hand. "After my surgery I wasn't able to use my right arm for a while, which made dinner prep a real joy."

"Could your daughter not make dinner for you?"

"She…" How was I supposed to explain it? "She was part of the reason my shoulder was reinjured, so she lived with Nagisa's parents for a while."

"You expelled her from her home?" she gasped, a hand going to her chest.

"No, no," I said, waving my hands. "Because… Because of the circumstances around it, she needed counseling for a while. She moved back in after the sessions were done."

"Ah; I believe I understand," she replied with a nod. "I am glad that she seems to have recovered nicely. And I am glad that you have recovered as well."

"Me?" I said in alarm, before I realized that she was likely referring to my shoulder. "Oh. Yeah, thanks."

"Getting back to your dinner difficulties…" Kotomi said as she fixed me with her gaze. "Would it be safe to assume that Hiiragi-chan started preparing your meals for you?"

"Yup," I said as I poked at a broccoli sprout. "She's the daughter of a couple of good friends of mine, so we kinda have a history. In fact, her mother was my class rep our third year."

"I see," she replied, her eyes briefly losing focus. "Would it also be safe to assume that she developed her attraction to you during this time?"

"Sort of, but that's a bit of a story, and not mine to tell," I told her.

"I see…"

"Anyway, I've been working on regaining my strength and flexibility for a while now. In fact, I have an appointment a week from tomorrow that'll hopefully be my last," I said, flexing my right arm.

"Oh, how wonderful!" she exclaimed, her eyes brightening. "To be free of a past injury… How long has it been since the initial injury? Just now, you said you reinjured it."

"It's been about twenty years, now."

"That is a long time," she mused as she briefly looked down at the tabletop. "I…should be grateful to Hiiragi-chan for her efforts to care for you."

"She worked pretty hard," I said. "She found out what nutrients I needed and made meals that were full of them, protein and stuff."

"I see." She looked up from the table and gave what looked like a forced smile. "I am glad that you are doing well overall, then."

"Thank you. What've you been doing since high school?" I asked, hoping to change the subject.

"Well, as I believe you are aware, I am the team lead for the research team assigned to string theory."

"Yeah, I think you mentioned something like that," I said. "What are you working on now?"

She ducked her head with a light blush. "That is what I would like to show you after dinner."

"Oh. Okay. Well, is there anything else you could tell me? Schooling, family, anything like that?"

"N-Not really," she replied, looking down at the table again. "Daddy has a brother but I have never met him, so I have not thought to contact him."

"I see." I looked around the restaurant, unsure of what to ask next. Had she done anything since high school but work? "Um…any hobbies? I know you like to read, but is there anything else? What does your average day look like?"

"Well, I wake up in the morning and wash my face. Then I eat breakfast and then go to work. After work, I go home and read, prepare and eat dinner, then read some more before going to bed."

"Do you go to any movies or any kind of…I dunno, entertainment?"

"Oh, yes!" she exclaimed, nearly dropping her chopsticks as she clapped. "I have attended many scientific conventions and discussed many things with many people!"

I blinked at her several times, starting to feel a little concerned. "Have you dated at all?"

"No," she replied with a shake of her head. "I do not have time for entertaining men."

Huh? "So…where did you find the time for this?" I asked, spreading my hands to indicate the restaurant.

She blushed so fiercely I briefly worried that she'd pass out. "I…I…always…have…time for you, Tomoya-kun."

I blinked at her several times. "I'm…not sure what to say to that. Thanks?"

"Y-You're welcome," she said while fanning herself with a hand. "Please… I would like to return to our meal."

"Sure," I replied as I tried to ignore a gnawing feeling in my stomach.

We ate an awkward meal, and after paying we waited outside for the valet to bring Kotomi's car.

"So, what's the name of the lab you work for?" I asked, partly for the information and partly to gauge her mood.

"Sci-Tek Laboratories," she replied evenly, though I noticed that she didn't look at me.

"Cool," I said lamely. "So that's where we're going?"

"Tomoya-kun," she started, turning toward me, "why are you asking a question that would generate an obvious answer? Are you unwell? Shall I take you to the hospital?"

"No, no," I said, waving my hands. Then I slumped. "Sorry, I really did want to know the name of your work; I also wanted to know if I upset you or something."

"I…am mildly distressed," she admitted. "But my distress is due to my own foolishness and nothing you have said or done. I apologize if I have given you reason to believe that I hold ill will toward you."

"I'm fine," I replied as the valet pulled up in her car. "I…hope you…I dunno, feel better soon."

"Thank you," she replied with a smile before turning her attention to the valet to receive her keys. "Thank you very much, and here is a tip," she said as she pressed a bill into the young man's hand.

His eyes widened when he saw the value of the bill. "Thank you very much, ma'am!" he exclaimed as he bowed repeatedly. "Thank you very much! Have a p-pleasant evening!"

"To you as well," she returned as she headed over to the driver's-side door.

I simply gave a small wave as I got in on the passenger's side. "So, how far is the lab from here?" I asked as we pulled away from the hotel, already uncomfortable with the silence.

"We will be traveling for about twenty minutes," she replied evenly. "Sci-Tek Labs is on the city border and away from densely populated areas in case of…unexpected issues."

"'Unexpected issues'?" I echoed. "Have you had any unexpected issues before?"

"Not to this point, no," she replied, glancing at me out of the corner of her eye. "We have many safeguards in place in anticipation of such events. I acknowledge that we cannot account for every possibility, but we account for as many as we can based on experience, both ours and those of other labs."

"That's cool," I said, decidedly impressed. "Sorry if I sounded insulting."

"Not at all," she replied evenly, glancing at me again. "One of the many qualities I appreciate about you is your candor."

Many? "Um, thanks."

She said nothing for the rest of the trip and before I knew it we were pulled up to a huge, white building. At least, it looked white by the nighttime lighting around it. The overall shape wasn't anything special; it looked like a large box, with several boxes attached to it. "Nice place," I remarked, more to myself than to my friend.

"Th-Thank you," she said as we came to a stop near what appeared to be the main entrance, where we exited the car. "Please, follow me." I followed her up to the doors and waited as she worked on getting us inside. First, she typed a code in on a keypad, then she placed her hand on what I recognized as a hand scanner, and then moved her face close to a panel above it, and I realized that it was probably scanning her retina; very impressive.

Finally, she spoke into what looked like a wall speaker: "Ichinose Kotomi."

A panel on the wall suddenly slid open, and I found the business end of a gun-like emplacement pointed at me.

"And guest!" she quickly added, and the weapon retracted back into the wall. "I am sorry, Tomoya-kun! I am unaccustomed to entering with anyone in who is not a fellow scientist!"

"Don't…worry about it…" I gasped, holding my chest as I tried to force my heart rate back down. "I'll…be fine…"

We made it inside, and she apologized several more times as she led me down several hallways, finally stopping at the same time we stopped in front of a pair of double doors. "My work is in here," she told me, then pushed the doors open…except they wouldn't budge. "I…do not understand…"

As she looked around for I-don't-know-what I took a chance and reached out for one of the door handles; it opened easily at my push.

"How did you do that, Tomoya-kun?" Kotomi asked, almost sounding indignant. "It would not open for me."

"I…pushed it?" I said, feeling sheepish. Was Kotomi really that weak?

"Amazing…" she breathed as we finally headed through the double doors, and I noticed that the lights seemed to come on by themselves. "You are so strong…"

I mumbled some form of gratitude, not having the heart to ask about her arm strength. "You must have loosened it for me," I finished in an attempt to soothe a potentially bruised ego.

It turned out to be unnecessary. "This is what I am responsible for," she announced proudly as she stopped in front of a huge machine and leaned against it with a smile.

"Wow…" I breathed as I tried to take in the sight of the thing. It was roughly cylindrical, mounted horizontally, with several tubes and wires attached to it at several points. Partway along its length, I could see what looked like a cylindrical protrusion sticking out of its side, with what looked like a lid on a hinge. "This is pretty neat. What's it do?"

"I am so happy that you asked!" she chirped as she led me to the protrusion and leaned against it as well. "This machine is based on my parents' research into string theory. I cannot explain all the details regarding the process, but this allows us to see into other realities."

"Other realities, huh?" I gave the machine another once-over; it didn't look that impressive, but I never remembered Kotomi as a liar, so… "That's pretty cool," I decided, chalking my impression sup to too many science-fiction movies. "Is there a reality where I'm not a loser?"

"Tomoya-kun!" she huffed, striding up to me with a look of indignation…I think. "As far as I am concerned, there is no reality where you are a loser! You are wonderful!"

"Thanks," I said as I took a step back; she was so close that I could have sworn we were breathing each other's air. "So, why did you want to show me this?"

"Because…you are very special to me," she replied, suddenly turning sheepish as she looked at the floor between us. "And the viewer is very special to me, so…I wanted to share it with you."

Dang; such an honest and open admission. "Thanks, Kotomi-chan. I…didn't mean to, um…treat you badly."

"You did not mistreat me," she said, meeting my gaze with an intensity that caused me to take another step back. "In fact…" Before I knew it she had grabbed my hand and was nearly dragging me to one end of the room; maybe she was stronger than I thought.

When we came to a stop again, I found myself standing before another cylinder, this one set vertically and clear, like it was made of glass. Next to it was what appeared to be some kind of control panel. "What's this?" I asked, genuinely intrigued.

"I am so happy that you asked!" she chirped, and I had to suppress a sense of déjà vu. "This is based on the Viewer technology," she explained, and I could even hear the capitalization in her words. "It is still a work-in-progress, but if I am successful this will allow us to travel to those other realities."

"Seriously?!" I asked as I gaped at the device. "You can do that?"

"Not yet," she admitted. "As I have said, this is still a work-in-progress; it is all academic, as they say, at this point."

"That's still pretty neat," I remarked as I looked at the gizmo with more respect. "I'm no scientist, but it looks like you have some idea of how to get someone over there. How do you get them back?"

"Excuse me?" she asked with a puzzled expression.

I gave my question more thought. "Well, you're working on a way to transport someone from our reality to another, right?"

"That is correct," she said with a proud smile, not undeservingly as far as I was concerned.

"Do you have any idea yet on how to get them from the other reality back to ours?"

Her smile faded as her eyes widened, and I jumped as she snatched up a nearby…something and started poking at it; it took me a moment to realize that it was one of those handheld portable computers. "I cannot believe that I did not think of that!" she exclaimed as she poked. "Thank you, Tomoya-kun! You are so smart!"

"Yeah…no," I said as I looked around the room at all the technological marvels. "If I was that smart I wouldn't be working as an accountant at an electrical company."

"I am certain that we would have realized our omission eventually, but that could have occurred after we sent someone over," she countered as she placed the computer back down and fixed her gaze on me again. "Besides, working for an electrical company is important work."

"Not as important as this," I counter-countered as I indicated the room with a sweep of my hands.

"But consider this," she said, taking a step toward me she continued to fix me with that gaze that had me backing up again. "Without your efforts to maintain the financial stability of your company, it would shut down. Without the electrical company, we would have no electricity, and without that I could not do all this," she said, indicating the room much the way I had.

"All right, Kotomi; you win," I chuckled; she had a valid point, after all.

"I like to think that we all win," she said as she continued to gaze at me; what was with her, anyway? I was starting to feel like a lab specimen.

"Was…" I swallowed to try to wet my suddenly dry throat. "Was there anything else you wanted to show me?"

"Th-There is," she replied, and her stutter was unmistakable. "But not here."

"Is this the surprise you mentioned?" I asked, experiencing a rare flash of intuition.

"Y-Yes," she said, then fell silent as she led me from the room containing her life's work and down several hallways back to the entrance and out to her car.

She continued in her silence as she drove, and I felt the need to break it. "Are you okay, Kotomi-chan? Are you mad at me or something?"

"I am not," she replied stiffly. "I am…scared."

"Scared?" I asked, mildly confused. "What are you scared of?"

I saw her swallow before answering. "I am scared that…you will not be impressed with what I want to share with you."

I pondered her answer for a moment; with all her work with string theory, and the amazing gizmos she was instrumental in creating… I couldn't help but chuckle. "I think if it's you, Kotomi-chan, I think it'll be amazing."

I heard a gasp from her side of the car. "Th-Thank you. I…I need to focus on my driving, please; I do not wish to cause an accident."

"Okay."

We were quiet for the rest of the way to…wherever she was taking me, and we eventually stopped at what appeared to be a lookout point that overlooked the city. "W-We are here," she announced as she shut down the motor.

"Hey, this is pretty," I remarked as I got out of the car; as I approached the handrail I could see the remaining lights of Hikarizaka under the night sky. "That's…That's really pretty."

"I-I am glad you approve," I heard her say from behind me.

I turned to face my childhood friend. "So, what did you want to…show…?" My intended question was lost at the sight before me. "What the….?"

Kotomi lay on the hood of her car, with her feet resting on the front bumper, and she had propped up her upper body on her elbows. She had unbuttoned several of the buttons on her blouse, and I could see her gazing at me through the valley between her very impressive breasts. I also noticed that her skirt had been hiked up just enough for me to get a view of her white-

"Kotomi-chan? What the hell are you doing?"

"I-I am attempting t-to seduce you," she informed me as she shifted her position on the car, causing more of her panty to become visible.

"S-Seduce me?" I repeated incredulously. "I mean, I know you've said that you like me, but…" I gestured at her while trying to keep my blood flow from heading south; she was gorgeous, after all. "This isn't like you…is it?"

"Not for any other man, no," she said as she moved again, apparently trying to show me more of her chest.

"But-"

"Do you not understand, Tomoya-kun?" she asked in a hurt tone. "This is what I wanted to share with you."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. "You wanted to share…?" I gestured at her again, unable to finish my thought.

"I wish to share myself with you," she said, confirming my suspicions as she rose to a seated position, and my gaze was drawn to a part of her blouse that had started to slip off her shoulder. "I have thought of you frequently since high school and decided that I would ensure that we would never be separated again, whatever it required. I have already lost you twice."

"Twice?" I asked while trying to keep my eyes on her face; she had a really impressive pair of- "When were those times?" I managed to squeak.

She angled her head at me, causing her blouse to slide further down her arm. "When we were in elementary school, and when we were in high school."

My stomach slid to my shoes. "Please tell me you weren't thinking of seducing me like this when we were kids."

"Certainly not!" she gasped. "I did not learn about…that…until my first year of middle school!"

I breathed a sigh of relief, but that still didn't fix my real problem; I had to take control of the situation before my increasing libido did. "Look, Kotomi-chan; I really appreciate that you're willing to…make yourself vulnerable like this, but..." I gestured helplessly at her. "This isn't the way to do it."

"But I love you, Tomoya-kun!" she cried. "I have loved you for a very long time!"

"How do you know?" I asked, grateful for the distraction. "We've only seen each other a few times in, what, almost thirty years?"

"That does not matter to me!" she protested. "I liked that boy who came into the backyard of my parents' home, and I still like him!"

"Kotomi, it's been decades since we were kids!" I pointed at my face. "Look at me and tell me that I'm the same kid you fell in love with back then!"

She swallowed several times as she appeared to gather her thoughts. "I will readily admit that you are not exactly the same boy I fell in love with," she admitted. "But…you are the same boy in all the ways that I love."

I hung my head; what was I supposed to say to that?

"Besides…I am running out of time…"

Something about the way she spoke snapped my gaze back to her, breasts and all. "What do you mean, 'running out of time'? Oh my god… Are you dying?"

"No!" she cried. "I am very healthy! I am just…coming to the end of my fertility cycle…"

"What? What are you…?" I trailed off as I realized what she was referring to; she would only be able to become a mother for a few more years before…

" _What's the matter; about to hit the wall and need to find someone who'll fertilize an egg?"_

Sunohara's words came back to me, unbidden, and I suddenly felt deep compassion for the not-so-young woman before me. "Your biological clock is running out and you want a baby; is that it? Or part of it, I mean?"

She nodded as tears streamed down her lovely face. "I invested so much of my time into my work that I did not give myself enough time to think of family," she lamented. "Now, when I think of marrying and having a baby, the only man I can think of is you."

I was deeply touched by her words; even after all this time, I was Number One on her list. Or maybe the only one. Still… "I'm sorry, Kotomi-chan; I…" I scratched my head as I tried to find the words. "Well, you were there at my counseling session, right? You heard that I'm still dealing with a lot of grief."

"I remember that, yes," she said as she sat, still partly undressed, on the hood of her car. "I also know that sexual intercourse makes men happy; that was another reason I decided to share myself with you."

Dammit, she was making it more and more difficult to turn her down. Fortunately, my values hadn't left me. "I believe that sex before marriage is wrong," I managed to say to the temptations before me. "That, and I'm still grieving Nagisa, even if it's just a little. Like I said; I appreciate your willingness to make yourself vulnerable like this, but…I couldn't do…this…under these circumstances."

"That is partly true," she said as she slid from her car and, thankfully, started to cover herself up again. "While I accept that your belief regarding marriage and your dedication to your lost wife are motivating factors, it is obvious to me that there is something else."

I blinked at her several times; I wasn't accustomed to being told what I really thought. "Okay, then; what is this 'something else'?"

"The Hiiragi girl," she said, and I definitely heard envy in her tone. "She has a part of your heart, much as you have all of hers."

"And you know this…how?"

"Your behaviors toward each other at your counseling session," she replied easily as she finished buttoning her blouse and started readjusting her skirt. "While I will acknowledge that I am not proficient in interpreting personal interactions, such knowledge was not required when it came to analyzing her feelings toward you."

"I'll give you that," I said with a chuckle. "She hasn't exactly been subtle about it. But what about me? What makes you think she has 'part of my heart'?"

"The way you defended her," she replied, just as easily as before. "I will admit that this is harder to explain, but the way that you protected her from Sunohara-san was a major clue."

"I did what any decent guy would do," I retorted.

"But it was also unnecessary," she countered. "Hiiragi-chan was in no real danger, thanks to the presence of friends and family. But you were the one who acted first, putting yourself between her and her attacker, as it were, and you attacked him when he said…something untoward to her."

I remembered what she was talking about. "You…really think that I…?"

She nodded, albeit slowly. "I am, of course, open to correction, but I am certain that my assessment is correct."

I turned my gaze inward as I thought about her words. I knew that I'd accidentally allowed myself to…appreciate Mika's physical beauty on more than one occasion, but…was I starting to become drawn to her character, too? I wasn't very comfortable with the possibility.

"You do not seem very comfortable with the possibility, Tomoya-kun."

I blinked in surprise at her words; had she been reading my mind? "Well, I'm not."

"She is quite young, is she not?"

"She's…a bit younger than I am," I said, unable to meet her eyes due to shame.

"She is eighteen and you are thirty-six," she said simply.

My gaze snapped up to hers in alarm. "How did you know that?"

She angled her head with a puzzled expression. "Both of your ages were revealed at your counseling session."

"Oh…right…" I said, my face falling again.

I felt a hand touch my cheek, and I allowed my head to be turned so I was facing her again. "Tomoya-kun; your happiness is very important to me, so I want you to consider Hiiragi-chan as a wife."

I blinked several times; had I heard her correctly? "Are you serious? You really want me with her after…this?" I exclaimed as I gestured toward her car.

"No," she replied in a strained voice. "I want you with me, but I can see now that it cannot be. I am sorry for trying to seduce you; that was disrespectful of me. I…" She closed her eyes and I saw tears start to trickle down her cheeks. "I…I waited too long."

I wasn't sure what else to do, so I gently (and very carefully) held my old friend as she aired her grief under the night sky.

* * *

I waved to Kotomi one more time as she drove away from the apartment building, then headed to my front door on feet that felt heavier than when I left. I got out my key and started my usual fight with the front door, only to have it open on me, yanking the keys out of my hand. "Welcome home, Tomoya," Kyou greeted from the other side. "Whoa, you don't look so good; are you okay?"

"No, not really," I admitted.

"Ushio, make some calming tea for your dad, would you please?" she called toward the living room as she stepped aside to let me in. "Go sit down, Tomoya; if you need to talk about what happened, I'll listen."

"Thanks," I grunted as I worked on exchanging my shoes; then I suddenly remembered the time. "Hey, don't you need to get back home or something? It's pretty late, and I'll be fine."

"Thanks, Tomoya, but I'm a big girl now," she said half-jokingly as she followed me to the kotatsu and sat down with me. "Right now, you're more important, okay?"

I sent her what must have looked like an exhausted smile. "Thanks, Kyou; I appreciate it."

"So what happened?"

I sighed heavily, starting to feel sleepiness settling in. "Well, things were fine for most of the date…"

"You're calling it a 'date' now?" she interrupted with a coy smile.

"Just for the sake of simplicity, okay?" I whined. "Could I just tell the story, please?"

"Sure," she said, looking apologetic. "Sorry about that."

"Anyway, the dinner was fine, and the lab visit was pretty cool, actually. But the surprise afterward…" I shook my head at the thoughts and feelings that were still somewhat fresh in my mind.

"A little more than you bargained for?" she asked, then ducked her head at my look of surprise. "Sorry; it's just that I could hear Jeff asking a question like that."

"Yeah, me too," I chuckled. "Well… How do I put this delicately?"

"Just phrase it as though your daughter's sitting right here," Kyou suggested.

"Why's that?" I asked, looking over at her.

She gave me an awkward smile. "Because your daughter's sitting right here," she replied as she gestured to my daughter, who was sitting right next to her. I must have had some pretty bad tunnel-vision to miss seeing her sit down with us.

I sighed yet again. "Well…Kotomi, she…well, she tried to seduce me," I said, feeling like a boy who got caught with dirty magazines.

"She what?" Kyou said as Ushio gasped with her hands over her mouth.

"I'm not gonna go into details 'cause I want to preserve her dignity," I told the women, "but from what she said to me she's liked me since we were kids, and she carried that feeling to adulthood." It then hit me that my description of Kotomi's feelings sounded a bit like Mika's situation, though the length of time was considerably different.

"That's a long time," Ushio breathed, her hands dropping from her face. "You're the same age as her, aren't you Daddy?"

"Close enough," I grunted. "I think we were about eight when we met as children, so…" I lifted my hands and let them fall into my lap.

"So she seduced you?" Kyou asked, briefly glancing to the side, and it occurred to me that she might have been remembering when she had tried the same kind of thing herself.

"She tried," I said. "But I've never liked the whole 'sex before marriage' thing and I still miss Nagisa. In fact, I told her that."

"Ouch," Kyou said sympathetically. "That must have been hard for her to hear."

"Yes and no," I said. "She knows about Mika's feelings for me, but she also thinks that because of the way I stood up for Mika at the counseling session – you know, when Sunohara said what he did – she thinks that I have feelings for her as well."

"Well, do you?" Kyou prompted.

"Of course not," I snorted. "How many times do I have to keep telling you all; she's a great girl who'll make some blessed guy really happy. Unfortunately, that guy won't be me."

"Unfortunately?"

I stared at Kyou's surprised expression. "What's the matter, Kyou?"

"Daddy…" Ushio said with a surprised look of her own. "You just said 'unfortunately'…"

"I did?" I said, puzzled. "No, I didn't."

"You most certainly did say 'unfortunately', Tomoya," Kyou insisted. "I'm not lying, I promise."

I suddenly didn't feel so good.


	34. Failed Negotiations

**Chapter Thirty-Four: Failed Negotiations**

I found myself in white. Not on a white floor with white walls, just…white.

I had not sense of up or down, left or right; all that existed was…white.

At least I wasn't all-white, as I discovered when I looked down to find myself in my typical casual outfit consisting of a dark-blue button-up shirt over a light-blue t-shirt and blue jeans, along with my indoor shoes. "What's going on…?"

I sensed something in front of me only to look back up to find nothing…at first. Before long, however, several shadowy figures appeared before me; they each looked familiar to me somehow, and I squinted to see if I could find any details that would clue me in.

Nothing.

It took a moment, but I started to see differences in the shadows; feminine figures, some of which appeared to have long hair that fell to around the small of the back, some had shorter hair to the shoulder blades, and one had even shorter hair, only to the base of the neck. They were also of various shapes, some narrow at the shoulders and wider at the hips while others were more evenly proportioned, some standing confidently while others stood like they had their hands folded before them.

I jumped in surprise when they all spoke as one: _"I love you, Tomoya."_

I could readily pick out some of the voices: Kyou, Ryou, Kotomi… Theirs were the most…distinct.

My discernment ability became irrelevant as the shadows started to move toward each other. Not like they walked, though; it was more like they simply slid sideways toward each other. Also, it looked like the shadows on the ends were being absorbed by the ones closer to the middle, which were then absorbed by those even closer to the middle, and…

Eventually there was one shadow left, which looked like the others but didn't look like the others. Long hair, shapely yet evenly proportioned. Unique, yet similar.

This lone shadow started to walk toward me, and it began to take on color and detail, and I held my breath as I had a feeling that I knew who the mysterious figure belonged to.

" _You may accept her, but you must accept yourself as well…"_ a voice that sounded like both Yuusuke's and Pastor Jeff's echoed from the whiteness.

"Who…?" I started to ask, but my question died on my lips at the figure stopped before me, having fully taken on color and detail.

Long, purple hair that gently brushed her bottom, with two ribboned locks and which framed a young round face… "Is it okay for me to still love you?" Mika asked as she gazed up at me with ocean-blue eyes…

* * *

"LEAVE ME ALONE!" I yelled, jarred from my sleep by the dream. I covered my face and rubbed it roughly. "Please…just…leave me alone," I begged as I squeezed moisture from my eyes, really wanting the dreams to go away. "I just want to live my life quietly….please."

The knock at my door was a welcome distraction from my distress. _"Daddy, are you okay?"_ Ushio asked form the other side. _"Did you have another bad dream?"_

"Yeah," I managed to reply through a tightened throat. "I'll be all right. I just…need a few minutes."

" _Okay."_

Having addressed my daughter's concern I turned back to the task of knocking the dream out of my head by slapping my cheeks. Eventually I was able to heave myself out of bed, out the door, and down the hall to the bathroom, where I renewed the assault on my face, this time with cold water. "I've got to end this, somehow," I grunted between splashes. My mind then drifted to my 'date' with Tomoyo. "Great; I'm not ready for today…"

In spite of my lack of readiness I washed my face, sloshed the awful taste out of my mouth with mouthwash, and padded down the hall to see what Ushio was conjuring up for breakfast.

"Bacon, toast with jam, and hard-boiled eggs!" she announced as she set a couple of plates and a bowl on the kotatsu. "I wanted to try a more English style of-Oh! I forgot the berries! Be right back!" She hurried back into the kitchen presumably to retrieve said item.

I looked at the spread and my stomach growled; at least my dream hadn't messed up my appetite. I waited until she returned with the berries and sat down, then we thanked someone for the food and dug in.

"You have your…time…with Sakagami-san today, right?" she asked cautiously as we worked on filling our plates.

"Yeah," I sighed. "To be honest, I'm starting to have reservations about it, but… I made the commitment, so I'll follow through. Besides, I'm curious as to how she became an ambassador; she was pretty headstrong and straightforward in high school, but I'm still kinda surprised."

"Sounds like some of the girls I know at school," she giggled as she took a strip of bacon. "Of course, all of our Student Council members are girls…"

"Hardly surprising," I grunted. At her look of surprise I explained, "Back when I was in school, most – if not all – of the school's student leadership positions were filled by girls." I shrugged a shoulder. "'Course, I wasn't present in school much even when I was there, so I might be remembering wrong."

"Why do you think that was?" she asked with an honest expression. "I mean, why do you think there were so many girls in those positions?"

I shrugged again. "I dunno. Maybe the guys were too afraid of looking bad, so they didn't even try. Maybe the girls just liked being in control." I blinked a couple of times. "I guess we could ask Mika about it," I suggested as I tried to ignore a slight twinge in my chest, probably a side-effect of the dream. "She's the head of… Well, she's the Disciplinary Committee, after all."

"That's true," she giggled. "I'll ask her when I see her tonight."

"How's your new computer?" I asked, really wanting to talk about something other than Mika.

Her eyes widened almost comically. "Oh…my…gosh, that computer from Ichinose-sensei is so fast!" she gushed. "When she said what she did about it not… Do you remember what she said about it, Daddy? Not as fast…?"

"I think she said it wasn't as powerful as their newer ones," I said, straining to remember as well.

"Yeah, something like that! Anyway, Fujibayashi-sensei and I hooked it up and when I turned it on it was ready before I'd taken my finger off the power button!"

"That's pretty fast," I said, more than impressed. "I guess it makes sense, though; on old computer from one of Japan's top labs?"

"To think that this one is less powerful that what they're using now…" she breathed, her eyes still wide with wonder. "They must do some amazing stuff there…"

"Actually, Kotomi-chan showed me…" I trailed off with a cringe as I remembered what she tried to show me toward the end of our time. I managed to press on, though. "She showed me a couple of projects she's been working on. I probably couldn't follow half of what she told me, but her…the projects seemed pretty impressive."

"I'll bet."

"Anyway, I could imagine them needing some pretty powerful computers to do everything they do there," I finished, grateful that I'd only had the one flashback. "About yours, though; I'll look into a service provider to see about getting you internet access."

"Thanks, Daddy."

I sent her a smile just as my phone rang. I checked the caller ID but didn't recognize the number. "Hello? This is Okazaki."

" _H-Hello, Okazaki-sama; this is Hiiragi Mika."_

"Mika?" I pulled the phone from my ear and looked at it in surprise before realizing that the action was pointless so I quickly put it back to my ear. "I didn't know you had a phone."

" _Dad got it for me last night. He figured that with how much I've been out that I should have my own phone."_

"Good for you," I said while trying to not remember her appearance in my dream. "Anyway, what did you need?"

" _I was hoping that I could give you my number, but I also wanted to ask if you were going to need me tonight. Aunt Kyou said that you were….out…last night, so I thought I should check."_

It wasn't hard to imagine the thought that caused the pause toward the end of her statement. "I'll be home this evening."

" _Great!"_ she chirped, her disposition having apparently performed a one-eighty. _"Shall I be there at the usual time, then?"_

"That'll work," I replied as I tried to ignore a sudden warmth in my chest. "As far as me having your number, though…" I sighed. "I'm not really comfortable with that. Does your dad know that you're trying to give me your number?"

" _He does; in fact, he was the one who suggested it."_

I blinked in surprise at the revelation, but it sounded like she had more to say so I said nothing.

" _With as much as I've been over there, he thought it'd be a good idea. Just in case…"_

I muted my end of the call and muttered some very unflattering things about the Hiiragi patriarch. "I can deal with it if you're not going to try to stop her, but don't help her, for crying out loud," I groused with the phone still muted.

" _Okazaki-sama? Are you there?"_

I unmuted the phone. "I'm here," I replied, trying to keep the annoyance out of my voice.

" _I have your number memorized, but may I have your permission to store it in my phone?"_ she asked, sounding apprehensive.

I puffed a sigh as I mentally cursed at Kappei some more. "Go ahead. And yeah, I'll store yours in my phone."

" _I'll be sure to give you a nice picture for it later!"_

"Sorry?"

" _A photo! You know; to go with my number!"_

Her words reminded me of when I got Kotomi's number; the exchange included a photo of her in her lab coat. Mika must have been talking about the same thing. "Um, sure. That's fine." The whole thing was really awkward; what would my boss think if he somehow ended up seeing her profile in my phone?

" _C-Could I have a photo of you, too? To go with_ _your_ _number?"_

I sighed again; if I was going to be a doormat… "That's fine. I don't think I have any in my phone, but I'll figure something out."

" _I could just take a picture of you with my phone tonight! Would…Would that be okay?"_

"Sure."

" _Great! I'm looking forward to it!"_

"Thanks."

" _See you later!"_

I ended the call, already feeling thoroughly spent…and it wasn't even noon. I looked around for my daughter but didn't see her; she must have left the room to give me some privacy. So I pocketed the phone as I headed down the hall to knock on the door to her room. "Ushio? You in there?"

" _Yeah, Daddy."_ I heard some light thumping, and the door slid open. "Are you finished with your call, then?"

"Yeah," I said, then had a strange thought. "Sweetheart, turn around, please."

She gave me a puzzled look but did what I asked.

I gently probed around the middle of her back; to her credit Ushio remained still, though she giggled a bit. "What are you doing, Daddy?"

I stepped back with a nod. "You have a spine, all right," I informed her as she turned to face me again. "Obviously you got it from your mother 'cause your father sure doesn't have one."

Ushio covered her mouth as she snorted into muffled giggles. "What happened?"

"Mika's dad got her a phone last night and she talked me into…well, basically exchanging contact information," I said, feeling my face burn.

She shook her head as she looked up at me a sympathetic smile.

"She also wanted to know if I'd be home tonight so she could do the usual dinner stuff," I finished, feeling really lame.

"Poor Daddy," she said gently as she wrapped her arms around me. "Is it like what Fujibayashi-sensei said about you having a tough time with girls?"

"Probably," I said with a chuckle that helped to get rid of some of the embarrassment. "I didn't date in high school, and you know that I haven't dated since your mom died."

Ushio suddenly pulled away to arms' length and studied my face with a look of surprise.

"What?" I asked, concerned by her abrupt withdrawal.

"You… It used to be that whenever you talked about Mom you'd get really sad," she said, still staring up at me. "But the way you said it just now…"

"What about-?" I started, then it hit me; I didn't feel the pain like I used to. Sure, I was still sad, but it wasn't as overpowering as it used to be. "That's so weird. I mean, this isn't the first time this has happened, but…"

"Are you starting to feel better, Daddy?" she asked with an honest expression.

"I'm not sure, yet," I replied as I rubbed my temples. "I've been feeling kinda out-of-sorts since last Saturday, so I'm not sure where I am in my recovery."

"It's okay if you don't feel as sad as you used to," Ushio said as she gave me another squeeze. "I don't think Mom would want you sad for the rest of your life because of her."

"You're probably right," I sighed as I patted her on the back. "Hey, how about I try and get a weekday off this week and we go to your school and eat in the old Theater Club room? I could talk to my boss on Monday, and I think the school should still be open."

"Hey, you're right!" she squealed, squeezing me yet again. "You talk to your boss and I'll call the school; will that work?"

"Sure," I said, smiling down at her. "We'll do that."

She squealed while giving me a couple more squeezes before hurrying down the hall to do…whatever.

* * *

A knock on my bedroom door jarred me from a particularly good scene in my book. "Just a second, sweetie," I grunted as I got to my feet to head to the door. "What's up?"

"It's about lunchtime," she told me. "Do you mind if I go ahead and eat?"

"No, go ahead," I replied. "Whatever you want and can find, it's yours."

"Okay," she replied with a smile. "What time is the ambassador picking you up?"

I sighed noisily. "Well, Sakagami's supposed to be picking me up at about one. It'll just be a lunch this time, and she'll be dropping me off here at around three."

"That's a long lunch," she giggled.

That drew a chuckle from me, helping to lighten my mood. "We'll be talking, too, of course. We haven't seen each other in almost twenty years; two hours may not be enough, actually."

"Well, I hope you have a good time," she said warmly; then her face turned serious. "Are you still worried that she might act…you know…?"

"Not as much, anymore," I replied. "We'll be in public, so it's not like she'd have any chance to do anything funny." I suddenly felt a little guilty. "Ushio, I'm really sorry that you're hearing about all this kind of stuff. I know you're sixteen and legally an adult, but…you're sixteen."

"I understand," she said with another giggle. "I'll admit that this isn't quite how I was expecting my sixteenth year to go…" She glanced to the side, and I realized that she was thinking about her prior actions again. "…but it's a learning experience, at least."

"I'll bet," I snorted with a smile. "Did you need anything else from me?"

"No, but you might want to get ready," she suggested while pointing into my room.

I looked to where she was pointing and saw- "Twelve-thirty?! Shi- I mean, I've gotta hurry! Thanks, sweetie; I've gotta hurry!"

"You're welcome, Daddy," she replied calmly as she closed my door.

I quickly got dressed and slammed out my bedroom door to the washroom; I normally wouldn't have bothered with looking nice, but Sakagami was another high-class woman, and I didn't want to look like an ape the way I had with Kotomi.

Fortunately I finished with about five minutes to spare. "Made it," I gasped as I blotted my forehead to get rid of some sweat that had formed during my mad rush. "If she's still anything like she was back in high school, I definitely wouldn't want to keep her waiting."

"Was she pretty strict?" Ushio asked as she helped by fanning me with a sheet of paper.

"Yeah. She had her ideas about how things should be, and would get on you if you didn't fit them," I said, grateful for the cooling breeze.

We chatted a bit more while I waited, and I ended up giving her permission to invite a couple of her friends over for the afternoon just as there was a knock at the door. "That sounds like it's for you, Daddy," she giggled.

"Yup. Well, here goes," I said as I got up to answer the door.

The person on the other side was not who I expected. "Okazaki Tomoya-san?" a large man in a business suit asked.

"That's right," I said, feeling a little anxious; had the police changed their mind about the situation with Ushio? Were they here to arrest me? "Wh-What can I do for you?"

"Come with me, please," he said politely as he turned and headed toward…a black limousine?

"Sir, I don't mean to be rude but I'm supposed to be meeting a friend at one-o-clock," I protested as politely as I could.

He said nothing but opened the back door to the limo to reveal a very nice pair of legs within. "Right this way, sir."

Following a hunch, I approached the legs-er, car and cautiously entered.

"Surprised?" came a familiar voice, though the suddenness startled me, and I jerked my head to the side to see Sakagami grinning at me from where she sat. "Hey, Okazaki."

"H-Hey," I replied, feeling overwhelmed at my surroundings as I tried to settle into the seat opposite my old schoolmate; I'd never been in a car like Kotomi's, and I'd definitely never been in a limousine before. "This is…really impressive."

"Thanks," she said as she briefly looked around the interior as well. "I've gotten used to it by now, but I remember feeling like I'd stepped into a fairy tale the first time I rode in one of these."

"So how come you're picking me up in this?" I asked as I felt the car start to move. "Don't you have your own car?"

"I do, but the government won't let me use it," she replied with a flip of her hair; the motion reminded me a little of Kyou. "They want their ambassadors well-protected."

"I could understand that," I said. "That's…pretty cool."

"Not as cool as defending me from the head of the Judo Club," she said with another flip of her hair.

I blinked several times. "That's…kinda…out-of-the-blue."

"I'm serious," she insisted as she leaned forward, and my stomach lurched as the cut of her shirt reminded me of how…well-endowed…she was. "Even though it was so long ago, I remember it like it was yesterday. Care to guess why?"

"Um…no, thanks," I said; even at our ages, I knew that the wrong answer could have some serious consequences.

"It's like I said at the time; you made me feel like a girl." She sat back in her seat and crossed her arms, which ended up giving me another reminder of her…blessings. "You were my first, Okazaki."

"E-Excuse me?"

She cocked her head with a puzzled expression, then burst out laughing. "Oh, sorry about that! I just meant that you were the first person to ever make me feel like a girl!"

"Ah." Not even five minutes into our 'date' and I was already very uncomfortable. "S-Sorry about that."

"Don't worry about it," she said with a wave of her hand and a light blush. "Poor choice of words on my part."

"Speaking of word choices," I said, hoping to change the subject, "how did you become an ambassador?"

"Well, I wasn't trying for the job, I'll tell you that much right now," she replied with another flip of her hair, "but I'd prefer to talk about that over din-er, lunch; I don't want us to run out of stuff to talk about or end up interrupted when we get there."

"Fair enough," I said, then looked around the cabin again. "Then…what should we do in the meantime?"

"Well, we could ask some basic stuff," she suggested. "Like: what do you do for a living?"

"I'm an accountant for Hikarizaka Electrical," I replied easily; as I guy, that was usually the first question anyone asked when first meeting me.

"That's funny; I always pegged you as the hands-on type," she said with another flip of her hair, then looked at me with an uncertain expression. "Er…no double-meaning intended."

I wasn't sure what the other meaning could…my face heated up as I suddenly realized another possible meaning. "I…didn't take it any other way than I like to work with my hands," I replied carefully. "Well, if it helps I was an electrician before I was transferred to the accounting position. You know, climbing power poles and stuff like that."

"That's pretty cool," she said with a small smile. "Funny, though; I figured that if you were going to be a laborer, you'd work in one of those recycling centers. You know, fixing stuff by figuring stuff out; using your brain along with your muscles."

"I had to do a bit of thinking as an electrician," I said, trying not to feel defensive, 'but the accountant job was better for me 'cause of my shoulder injury."

"Shoulder injury?" she asked, eyes wide as her arms fell into her lap. "What do you mean, 'shoulder injury'?"

"Well, I don't have it anymore, but that's kind of a long story. Anyway, my dad-er, my shoulder got busted when I was about to start high school, so I couldn't play basketball anymore." I shrugged, more aware of the sensation of the new muscle in my right shoulder as it moved. "It's better now, but like I said; it's a long story."

"I'd like to hear it during lunch if we have the time," she said with a look of astonishment. "I…I never knew…"

"It never really came up," I said with another shrug. "I'm not hurt, if that's what you're worried about."

"But…" she licked her lips as she leaned forward again, "…if you'd had to fight the head of the Judo Club with a busted shoulder…"

"I'd have ended up a fine paste on the floor either way," I quipped with a lopsided grin as I felt the car come to a stop. "I wasn't that kind of delinquent. I guess I could tell you the rest inside, if you wanted."

"I want," she said with an impish smile, which I couldn't help but return. "C'mon; you ready?"

"I guess," I said, feeling uncertain. "I mean; am I going to be okay dressed like this?"

"You look hot," she replied as the door opened, revealing the restaurant along with the limo driver.

"I'm not used to wearing long-sleeves," I explained as we got out of the car and headed to the restaurant. "I usually wear short sleeves to work since it's-"

I was interrupted as she spun to rest a hand on my chest. "I wasn't talking about your outfit, Okazaki," she said, and something about her expression caused my temperature to suddenly spike upward. "I said 'You look hot'." She then gave me a wink before turning to head into the building, and I followed while battling a slight case of dizziness.

The cooler air of the restaurant worked its magic, and I started to feel a lot better as we approached a podium with a gentleman standing behind it, and I had a flashback to my time with Kotomi. "Excuse me," I heard her say to the man. "I have a reservation for two for Sakagami."

"Of course, Madame Ambassador!" he said, his face lighting up with his smile. "It is good to see you again, as always. Right this way, please." We followed him into the main part of the restaurant, and I was slightly relived to see that the other guests weren't dressed too much more nicely than I was; nice, but not Kotomi-level. "And here we are," I heard him say as he stopped at one of the many tables, though I couldn't help but notice that this one was more…secluded than the others; looking around, I saw that we were in a section of the restaurant where the booths were designed to give their occupants more privacy. A lot more privacy… I swallowed a sizeable lump of anxiety.

"Thanks, this is perfect," I heard Sakagami say; I then watched somewhat dumbly as she slid into a seat before quickly taking my own across from her. As I watched, she picked up her menu and began to study it. "So, what are you going to have?" she asked.

I blinked stupidly several times before shaking my head to clear it and collect my menu as well; fortunately, this one was in Japanese. "Well, let's see… Wait, they serve burgers here?"

"Yup!" I heard her chirp form the other side of my menu. "That's part of the reason I picked this place." I lowered my menu to find her giving me an impish smile. "Surprised?"

"Well….yeah," I replied as I awkwardly scratched my cheek. "I've never been here before, but I figured we'd be going someplace fancy like the one Kotomi-chan took-" I quickly cut myself off, my stomach slithering to my shoes as I realized that I'd likely opened my big mouth.

"So, you were with Ichinose-sensei?" Her question was more of a statement. "I-If you don't mind me asking; where did you go?"

"We… I don't remember the name of the restaurant, but I remember that the menu was in French," I said, feeling sheepish while trying to not feel sheepish; it wasn't as though I was cheating on Sakagami, after all.

"Local?"

"Sort of."

"I think I know the place," she said with a flip of her silver hair. "If it's the place I'm thinking of, I met with some other diplomats there for a luncheon of some kind. Too snobbish, if you ask me."

"Well, the host wasn't rude or anything," I said, more to myself. "Wait, then what's this place?" I asked, gesturing to indicate the dining area around us.

"This is a family restaurant," she said matter-of-factly while looking around. "It's…higher-quality than most, but still affordable."

"Maybe to you," I grunted, then looked back to the menu. "Yeah, this stuff is way outside an electrician's salary."

"I…I'm sorry." I looked up from my menu to see her gazing at me with a look of regret. "Is…Is this embarrassing for you? I didn't mean to do that; I just wanted to eat someplace nice with you."

"It's fine," I replied, more out of reflex than anything. "I don't mean to sound ungrateful or anything, it's just…" I sighed at my inability to find the right words. "I guess it just makes me think of where I could have been if my shoulder hadn't been busted so long ago."

"Yeah, you mentioned your shoulder in the car," she remarked. "How'd that happen?"

I sighed again, partly to give myself more time to think about how to phrase my answer. "My dad and I had been fighting for years after Mom died, and shortly before I started high school we got in a really bad one and ended up busting my right shoulder."

"I take it that's your dominant side?"

"Yeah," I nodded as the memories started to return, though I noticed that they weren't as painful as they used to be…just like my memories of Nagisa. "I got into Hikarizaka on a basketball scholarship, too, so…" I trailed off, not sure how to finish my thought.

"Damn, Okazaki; I'm sorry." I looked across the table to find her studying me with a look of regret. "Your whole life was messed up by that. Damn."

I blinked in surprise; at my session, she spoke so properly and politely; but here, she was starting to sound like the rough-and-tumble Sakagami that I vaguely remembered. "Thanks. I'm better now, though, thanks to an experimental surgery."

"Really?" She seemed to brighten with the new information. "That's cool. How long ago did you have it?"

I squinted as I tried to remember; finally, I gave up. "I can't remember exactly," I replied with a shrug and an embarrassed chuckle. "A few months ago, now. A lot's happened since then, so I've kinda lost track of time. I have my last follow-up appointment with Dr. Fujibayashi next Saturday. At least, I hope it'll be my last."

"So your shoulder works again?" she asked, leaning her elbows on the table, the cut of her blouse reminding me yet again of how well-endowed she was.

"Yeah," I said as I briefly raised my hand above my head. "It used to be that I couldn't lift my hand above the level of my shoul-OHMYGOD!" I shot from my seat as the sudden and unexpected sensation of something rubbing against my leg.

"What's the matter, Okazaki?"

"I-I'm not sure," I stammered as I checked my pant leg, vaguely aware of the attention my outburst had apparently drawn. "It felt like something rubbed against my leg." I glanced under the table but all I could see were the ambassador's legs, modestly crossed.

"Maybe a breeze blew your pant leg," she suggested, but something about her reassuring smile was…off.

"Y-Yeah," I managed as I reclaimed my seat. "Wh-Where was I?"

"Standing next to our table and yelling about your leg."

"No, before that," I said, starting to feel slightly annoyed.

"You were talking about how you couldn't raise your arm very high," she said, then glanced beyond me. "Our server's coming, I think."

"Good afternoon!" a young woman greeted as she bowed, then pushing a lock of black hair over her ear as she straightened. "I'm Hiroko, and I'll be your server today."

"Hello, Hiroko-san," I greeted before I realized that she wasn't finished. "Sorry; didn't mean to interrupt."

"N-No problem," she replied as she appeared to study me. "Guests don't normally greet me back; you're very polite, aren't you?"

"I don't think so," I said, starting to feel self-conscious. "After all, I just interrupted you, didn't I?"

"You did, but that's okay; I'll forgive you this time," she said with what looked like a playful smile.

"Are you here to take our orders?" I heard Sakagami ask, her tone sounding slightly menacing.

"Y-Yes, ma'am!" Hiroko squeaked as she quickly raised a palmtop computer. "I'm sorry! Wh…What can I get for y-you?"

We gave our orders, and as our server hurried away I looked to my old schoolmate. "What was that about, Sakagami? Do you know her or something?"

At first, she gave me a look of disbelief rather than an answer. Then… "Okazaki…she was flirting with you. And in front of me!"

"She was?" I looked over my shoulder to find her, but she was likely already in the kitchen area. "That's weird; it didn't seem like it to me. Our conversation seemed a little odd, but…" I raised my hands in a shrug. "Sorry."

She shook her head with a scoff. "Seriously? You couldn't tell?"

"Not a clue," I replied honestly. "What made you think she was?"

"Girls don't 'forgive' guys that way," she said as she leaned forward again to fix me with her gaze. She then shook her head. "I guess you don't know how good-looking you are, huh?"

"I've…been told a couple of times…about that," I said, thinking back on Ushio's words, as well as the many recent interactions I'd been having with the under-twenty crowd.

"Well, you are," she declared, then appeared to study me further. "Damn; now that I really look at you, it looks like you haven't aged a day since high school. Your eyes show some signs of age, but otherwise? Damn."

"I promise you; I've aged at least sixteen years since then," I replied with humor, though it quickly sobered. "Maybe more with Nagisa's death."

"Your late wife, right?"

"That's right," I replied, waiting for the twinge of pain that didn't come.

"Yeah, that would do it. Sorry." She crossed her arms as she studied me some more, and I thought I felt her foot gently tap against my leg; so that was it. "You really have aged well for all the crap you've been through."

"Thanks…I think."

"Do you think I've aged well?" she suddenly asked.

"You? Ah…" I hesitated, Ushio's words about me saying nice things about girls coming to mind. But she asked, so… I closed my eyes and tried to remember what she looked like back in high school. Finally, I opened my eyes. "Yeah, I'd say you have. I couldn't say exactly how you've aged well, but I can say that you look a lot like the second-year that I remember from high school."

"In case I didn't tell you back then; I don't like lies, Okazaki," she said in a tone of warning.

"Cool. Same here," I replied as I held her gaze.

I thought I heard a slight whimper before she averted her eyes. "G-Good. Th-Then thanks for the compliment."

"You're welcome."

She must've been surprised by my praise, because she was quiet until our server came back with our orders. "…and here you go," she finished as she set my plate before me. She then stepped back to a professional distance. "Is there anything else I can get for you? Condiments or anything like that?"

"I don't see our drinks," Sakagami said after briefly surveying our table.

"Oh! I'm sorry!" she squeaked as she bowed. "I'll be right back with them! I'm very sorry!"

"Don't worry about…it," I said to her rapidly retreating form.

"She bowed to you, Okazaki," Sakagami remarked.

"All right," I said, starting to feel annoyed again. "What am I supposed to do about it?"

She opened her mouth to speak but closed it again. "Damn," she scoffed. "I'm sorry; I guess I'm feeling jealous. I invited you on a date, after all."

She had a point, and her words cause me to remember Kyou's admonition: _"Just because you don't see it as a date doesn't mean that they won't."_ "Yeah. Yeah, you did," I conceded. "I'm sorry; I'll…try to be more aware from now on."

"Thank you; I appreciate it," she replied in a subdued tone.

Apparently neither of us knew what to say after that, so we ate quietly as we waited for our drinks.

"Here you go!" our server chirped as she placed my drink before me. "One lemon tea, and the red wine for you," she finished as she placed a tall, fancy glass in front of my 'date'. My 'date'.

"Thank you, Hiroko-san," I said with a smile; I liked remembering people's names, but I hoped she wouldn't get the wrong idea because of it.

"Y-You're welcome," she replied as she hugged her tray to her chest; considering her proportions it actually looked a little uncomfortable. "En…Enjoy your meal!" Before Sakagami or I could say any more, she bowed and took off back toward the kitchen.

"Did you see it that time?" Sakagami asked in a low tone.

"I think so, yeah," I said. "The way she was holding her tray, and…she looked like she blushed a little…"

"She also had one foot pointed inward, just a little bit," she said as she picked up her drink. "I'm not surprised you missed that, but good job on the others."

"Thanks."

We ate in awkward silence for a few more minutes. Well, at least I felt awkward. "So, how did you end up an ambassador?" I asked, hoping to change the topic to something more pleasant.

"It's been a long road," she started, "but it goes all the way back to high school. Do you remember the campaign to save the sakura that lined the path to the high school?"

"I remember hearing about it in the news," I said. "But I never really followed it much."

"That was my campaign," she replied as she reached up to flip her hair only to stop herself; we were at a meal table, after all. "I ran for Student Council President so I could work to save them."

"That's pretty cool," I said with no small amount of admiration. "Apparently you succeeded since they're still there."

She nodded in confirmation. "It was hard work, though; not only was I running the sakura campaign, I also had my presidential duties."

"Sounds like you were kept pretty busy," I remarked.

"I was," she replied with another nod. "Apparently I'd impressed some of our local politicians, and they encouraged me to run for public office after I graduated."

"Wait; do you mean that they encouraged you after high school or that they encouraged you, so you ran for office after high school?"

"The latter," she replied, then smirked at my puzzled look. "The second one; 'former' would refer to the first option I listed."

"Okay, thanks." While I liked learning new things, it was still pretty embarrassing learning them 'on-the-fly'. "So I take it you followed their advice?"

"Yup," she said before taking a sip of her wine. "I didn't fool around, either; I took a month off after graduation to plan before running for mayor." She gave me a puzzled look. "You…didn't know that I was your mayor for a while?"

"I...was kinda busy…" I said lamely.

"Yeah," she said while studying me. "I guess you were. Sorry."

"Don't worry about it," I said with a shake of my head. "It's not like you were there or anything; I can't expect you to remember."

"I wish I had been."

"Huh?"

She rested her forearms on the table, and I had to resist glancing at her attributes again. "I wish I could've been there for you; if nothing else, I could've kept you from drinking and smoking like that."

I smiled softly at her. "Thanks. I guess it would've helped to have someone to kick my ass when it was needed. Maybe I wouldn't have abandoned my baby daughter."

"You were hurting, and badly, Okazaki," she said softly, and I was touched – and a little surprised – by the warmth in her eyes. "I wissh I could have been there to take away your pain."

I noticed the slight slur to her words but decided to not mention it; she was drinking wine, after all. "Th-Thanks. Anyway, what happened after you finished being our mayor?"

"Huh? Mayor?" She blinked a couple of times. "Oh! Right. Well, it's hard to explain; I went from being an assistant to one member of the Diet, and then another." She shrugged a shoulder. "It was kind of a promotion; with each appointment I ended up with more and more responsibilities. Eventually, someone who'd been keeping track of my work ssubmitted my name for consideration to replace the outgoing ambassador to America."

"That's pretty cool," I said, thoroughly impressed, though I noticed that she slurred again. "You worked hard and it paid off."

"Yeah…" she said with a small smile, and I felt the light pressure on my leg again. "The only problem iss, in all that time I couldn't find a good man."

"I'm…sorry to hear that," I said, suddenly feeling self-conscious, not just at her words but also at the way she was looking at me. "So there wasn't anyone who'd ask you out?"

"Oh, there were plenty," she replied before taking another sip of her drink. "But they were politicians, ya know?"

"I'm not sure I get what you mean," I admitted.

"Seriously?" She snorted behind her hand. "Okazaki, you've got more testosterone in your little finger then everyone in the Diet!"

"Could you lower your voice, please?" I asked as I noted the disapproving gazes sent our way. "You're being a little loud."

"SSorry," she slurred again but did ask I asked. "There aren't any men in politics," she explained, her voice barely above a whisper. "They talk like a bunch of high-school girls, plotting and scheming; they're not straightforward and honest like you are…and I am."

"I see," I said, uncomfortable with what I was learning about our political leaders. "Well, I'm sure you'll find someone…worthy of you…soon."

"Oh, I found him a long time ago," she said while looking at me with a smile that seemed…predatory. Her foot had also made a reappearance, heading north for my…

I sighed, having reached my limit. "Look, Sakagami; I appreciate your…admiration, but I'm not on the market and probably never will be."

"Suuure," she cooed; how much wine had she…well, had? "You haven't had sex in over a decade, Okazaki. And you've got a high-schooler panting for you, don't ya?"

"Ambassador…" I hissed, trying to remind her of her position. "We should probably leave soon; you're not acting…yourself."

"I haven' been myself for a long time," she pouted. "I've been whatever other people have needed me to be!" She looked down at her mostly-empty plate. "I'm done. You?"

I looked down at my mostly-eaten meal and decided it wasn't worth sticking around to eat if Sakagami was working on making a fool of herself. "Yeah, I'm done."

"Cool." She grabbed up her glass and drained it, and I realized that she must have had more than one glass during our meal; perhaps I'd been too distracted with my own musings. "Let's pay an' get outta here."

"Okay." I helped her to unsteady feet and let her hold my arm as we made our way up to the front counter to pay. She fumbled out a government ID and what I figured was her government credit card. "Should you be using that for this?" I asked. "This was a personal expense."

"Oops, you're right." She tossed the card back in her bag and rummaged around, finally producing something more appropriate. "Thankz, Okazaki; you saved my ass."

I tried to avoid looking at her posterior as we left the restaurant and headed toward the waiting limousine. "She…had too much wine, I think," I told the driver. "I'm sorry; I didn't think to keep track of her drinks."

"Again?" he grunted with a shake of his head. "Don't worry about it, sir; I've dealt with this before."

We managed to get Sakagami into the back of the limo and I got in after her, helping her into the front-facing seat while I took the rear-facing seat again. "You okay?" I asked as the car started to move again.

"I'm fine," she replied, waving a hand at me. "A little wine is good for the gut, or something like that. 'Sides, it helps with the pain."

I had a feeling what 'pain' she was referring to but still decided to ask. "What pain?"

She leaned forward, almost falling to the floor; I managed to catch her in time, though. "Such strong hands…" she murmured. "I wonder how they'd feel on my-"

"That's enough, ambassador," I said, hoping that hearing her title would help her pull it together. "You're drunk."

"I know I'm drunk, dammit!" she grumped while sitting on the floor with her head tilted back. "That's how I make the pain go away!"

I dreaded what the answer would be but risked the question: "Is there something I can do to help you?"

"Fuck me."

"Excuse me?"

"Fuck me," she repeated. "You 'member back in high school, when I toldya that you made me feel like a girl?"

"Yeah, I do," I replied carefully, still shocked by her language.

She somehow managed to level her gaze at me as she leaned toward me. "I want you to make me feel like a woman."

I almost asked why she wanted me to do it, but I'd had enough reasons spelled out for me so all I could do was sigh. "I'm sorry, Sakagami; I can't do that."

"It's easy enough," she protested. "We just get naked and you put your-"

"That's not what I mean," I interrupted, "and I think you know it. What kind of guy would I have to be to have sex with you now? Drunk and all that?"

"A real slime," she said sadly.

"That's right. And I think you also know that I'm not the kind of guy who'd have sex outside of marriage, don't you?"

She said nothing, but shook her head as she slumped.

"So I'm sorry, but I can't in good conscience do that with you."

She looked back up into my eyes. "Do you mean that? Are you really sorry?"

Was I? "I wish I could take your pain away," I replied honestly. "And, to be honest, I probably would be out looking to remarry if t wasn't for the fact that I still miss my wife."

"Bullshit."

"Excuse me?" I said, shocked by her response.

"You don't miss your wife as much as you thhhink."

I shoved her away before I could stop myself. "What do you know about me and Nagisa, anyway?"

"I'm sure you miss her," she said, swaying a little. "But she'ss not the reason you won't date."

"And you know this how?" I demanded as I crossed my arms; we swayed a little as the car rounded a turn.

"Because I'm a girl."

"Huh?" My arms dropped; something about her statement sounded familiar...then I remembered. "And girls are complicated, right?"

"Right," she confirmed. "Yeah, you miss your wife, but you don't azz much azz you used to. That girl's your real reason."

"What girl?" I was pretty sure she was referring to Mika, but I wanted to hear it from her own mouth.

She growled before reaching behind her to grab a bottle of water. After downing some of it she said. "You know which one; the one who ssaid she loved you at your sezz…sezz…"

"My counseling session?" I offered.

"Yeah." She took another drink from the bottle, then wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. "The girl with the long hair with a couple of locks tied back like Missus Wizard."

"You're talking about Mika?" I finally said, figuring her 'Missus Wizard' nickname referred to Kotomi.

"Yeah," she replied; surprisingly, she was already starting to sound more sober. "Damn, Okazaki; how old is she? Eighteen?"

"Yeah."

"She'd be in her last year of high school, maybe university," she remarked as she lifted herself back into her seat. "How'd you two meet, anyway?"

I sighed. "There's…a bit of a story behind that. I guess the short version would be: she's the daughter of a couple of friends of mine, one of whom was my class rep."

She blinked, apparently surprised by the revelation. "Really? Which one? I mean, which one was your class rep?"

"Her mother," I replied. "Hiiragi Ryou, though she was 'Fujibayashi' back in high school."

"Wait a minute…" she said, rubbing her temple. "She's eighteen and you're…how old?"

"Thirty-six."

"So your class rep couldn't be too much older than you, right?"

"Right," I replied, puzzled. "What's your point?"

"When the hell did she get pregnant?" she asked as she fixed her hair. "Seems like your girlfriend would have been conceived during her mom's third year of high school."

"That's…" Truth was, I'd never thought of that before. "That's a good question. I don't know."

"Maybe you should ask," she suggested, definitely sounding more clear-headed; she must have had an amazing liver.

"Do you think there might be a problem?" I said, starting to worry.

Apparently she noticed, because she gave me a sly grin. "What's wrong, Okazaki; worried about your little admirer?"

"Well, kinda," I admitted. Was Mika adopted or something? How would Ryou have hidden a pregnancy during high school? For that matter, why would she hide a pregnancy? For that matter, why would she hide her marriage to Kappei? And why did the idea seem to bother me so much?

"You worried about what's-her-name?" Sakagami's voice suddenly cut in.

"Who?"

"Your little girlfriend," she said, sly grin still in place.

"She's not my any-kind-of girlfriend," I retorted. "And her name is 'Mika-san'."

"Oh, so now you add the honorific," she said teasingly. "Anyway, you're worried about her?"

"I guess… Since I never thought about this before, the whole idea kinda surprised me," I replied, choosing to ignore her taunt.

"Yeah, that makes sense. You sure you won't have sex with me?"

I blinked at the abrupt change in subject. "I'm sure, though I'll admit the offer has been…tempting."

"Whoo!" she exclaimed, fanning herself. "Thanks, Okazaki; you actually made my heart skip a beat with that one!"

I simply chuckled as I shook my head at her antics.

"Listen…" she said, her expression turning serious, "…I've had years to get my act together and approach you; it's not like I haven't known where you've lived all this time, after all."

I felt a little uncomfortable with the idea but said nothing.

"I'm sorry for acting the way I did at the restaurant; I think I forgot how great a guy you were – and still are – and…" She swallowed hard. "…I don't think I deserve someone like you."

"No, you deserve way better," I snorted.

Her expression didn't change at my attempt at humor. "No… I don't think so. I think someone like Mika deserves you." She flicked her gaze to the floor between us. "I can tell; she's supportive, lifts you up, you know?"

"And you know this because you're both girls?" I said with a smirk.

That got a chuckle out of her. "Sort of. That, and my skills as an ambassador have helped me learn how to read people… To some degree, I mean."

"Well, you're right about her being supportive," I told her. "She's been making dinners for me almost from the time my shoulder was injured-er, reinjured a few months ago, I mean."

"Yeah; she's a keeper," she declared. "I know that you're eighteen years apart, but if you let her get away you'll regret it." I saw her swallow hard again. "I would know what that feels like."

I wasn't sure what to say to that.

"If she's loved you for a while, then she deserves a response," she said quietly.

I looked to her, puzzled, only to find her still staring at the floor. "What do you mean?"

She lifted sad blue eyes to mine. "Either accept her and marry her, or reject her and send her away; either way, she needs closure."

* * *

I rubbed my face vigorously with my hand as I entered the apartment. "I'm home…" I grunted as I reached down to take off my shoes; man, my voice sounded old.

"Welcome home!" greeted a familiar yet unexpected voice, causing me to freeze with one shoe off.

"M-Mika?!"

A moment later Mika bounced into view…in more ways than one, I desperately tried not to notice. "Welcome home! I hope you don't mind, but I came a little early; I wanted to make a new dish that Aunt Kyou taught me recently, but it takes longer to make than usual."

"W-Well, I gave you a key to the place, so…" I tried to unscramble my nerves to finish my thought. "…it's fine."

"Great!" she chirped. "Have a seat and I'll bring you some tea!"

"… _she's the supportive type who'd help you succeed in life…"_ rang through my mind as I fell into my spot at the kotatsu. "Where's Ushio?"

"She made a run to the market to pick up some ingredients for tonight's dinner," she called from the kitchen. A minute later she came out with a tall glass and placed it on a coaster in front of me. "Here you go! I figured that since it's hot outside that cold tea would be better."

"Thanks," I said gratefully as I reached for the sweating glass.

"How…was your time with the ambassador?" I heard her ask hesitantly.

"Fine," I said, trying to not remember my conversation with Sakagami about my 'admirer'. "We had lunch and talked about how we got to be where we are."

"I'll bet she had quite the story to tell," Mika remarked as she headed back to the kitchen.

"You could say that," I replied. "I'm not sure that I understood it all, but I know I learned some stuff about our political leaders that has me worried."

"I'll bet," she giggled from the kitchen.

I said nothing further but watched her as she stood with her back to me, her long hair swaying as she moved something from the counter to the stove, and started to think about how to best get out of my situation. Even though we effectively had the blessing of everyone who knew of her feelings toward me, she was still only eighteen and I still believed that she should have been interested in someone her own age rather than the thirty-six-year-old father of one of her schoolmates.

I didn't dislike the girl, of course; she was kind but firm, compassionate like her mother while strong-willed like her aunt. Cute as a button, too. Why couldn't she find someone her own age? Or even someone more…college-aged?

" _Either accept her and marry her, or reject her and send her away; either way, she needs closure."_

It pained me to do it, but I had to find some way to get her affection away from me. This had to end somehow, so I got up from my spot at the kotatsu and started over to her as she stirred one of the pots.

I saw a brief look of surprise in her eyes as I took her by the wrist and spun her so she ended up with her back to the counter, but away from where the flames of the stove could reach her. I stepped as close to her as I could without actually making contact and rested one hand on the counter, between her and the stove, but kept my other hand by my side; I wanted to give her plenty of space to run after what I planned to do, but my skin crawled as, without flinching, she rested her hands on my chest and looked up into my eyes.

I didn't say anything as I held her gaze: I wanted her a little worried. Not scared, but I could live with her fear if that's what it took to turn her off to me. It creeped me out yet again, though, when her eyes showed no fear; instead, I saw innocent trust.

I sighed internally; I had hoped that suddenly acting 'aggressive' toward her would have her running out the door, but… I sighed internally as I started to lower my face toward hers, figuring that would be enough make her uncomfortable enough to move away.

My skin crawled to the point of burning when not only did she not shrink away, she actually tilted her face upward, her eyes closing as her hands slid from my chest to my sides, on their way to my ba-

I jumped away with a strangled shout. "Wha…What are you doing, Mika?"

Her eyes fluttered open with an expression of bewilderment before it settled into one of loss. "Wh…Why did you stop?"

"You…You were supposed to push…push me away," I stammered as I pointed at her. "Or run."

"Why would I push away what I want so badly?"

I stared at her in disbelief; of course I knew that she cared about me but I was sure that she'd run when things got too real.

Her arms moved from their previous attempt to embrace me to cross over her chest. "I…I was ready, Tomoya-sama. My…My heart was…is…ready…"

'Tomoya-sama'? "Mika, you-"

"Why did you stop?" she demanded tearfully, taking a hesitant step toward me and causing me to hurry to the other side of the kotatsu. "Are you trying to torture me? Do you hate me?"

I suddenly felt a slight wave of guilt from what I'd just done. "I-I don't hate you, Mika; it's just that…" I gestured helplessly toward her, unsure of what to say.

Her look of sadness resolved itself to one of defiance. "You…You were trying to scare me away, weren't you?"

My eyes darted around the room, as though I could find the words I needed printed on the wall. Finally, I simply hung my head with a sigh, bobbing it a couple of times in confirmation. "I'm sorry."

"Please look at me, Tomoya-sama." After I had brought my gaze up to her still-determined expression she said, "Whether you like it or not, I love you. I told you that Mom and Aunt Kyou told me about all the qualities they saw in you and fell for, and I've seen them as well." Her air of defiance faltered as she lifted a hand to wipe away a tear. "I guess I am my mother's daughter, huh?"

I wasn't sure what to say to that.

"I'm sorry I'm so much younger than you are," she whimpered. "I'm sorry for following you around the way I have, and I'm sorry for falling in love with you."

Following? Suddenly, some things made sense, but I filed the thought away for later. "Mika, I-"

"No, wait; I'm not sorry."

"Huh?"

"I'm not sorry I'm so much younger than you are," she said, her determined look making a return. "I'm not sorry for following you around the way I did, and I'm not, not, not sorry for falling in love with you. At all." Her expression softened. "What I'm really sorry for is that it makes you uncomfortable."

"Thanks."

"That doesn't mean that I'm giving up, though!" she declared, her expression brightening all of a sudden.

"Huh?"

She didn't reply, but giggled as she turned back to the stove and started humming what sounded like a happy tune.


	35. Transformation

**Chapter Thirty-Five: Transformation**

I groaned myself awake at the sound of my cell phone; it wasn't the music that I'd set to play for my alarm but my regular ringtone, so I checked and was surprised to see that it was Mom and Dad Furukawa. "Good morning, this is Okazaki."

" _Good morning, Tomoya!"_ Mom's melodious voice nearly sang through the speaker. _"I'm sorry; did I wake you?"_

"You did, but it's fine; I needed to get up anyway," I grunted. "How're you and Pops doing? What can I do for you?"

" _Have you had break-oh, I guess you wouldn't have just yet,"_ she giggled; I was still amazed at how someone in her mid- to late-fifties could still sound so young. _"Would you and Shio-chan please come over for breakfast?"_

I thought it odd that she didn't say something more like 'would you like to…?', so I figured she wanted us there for some reason. "Um, sure. I'll check with Ushio and we should be able to be there around…" I quickly checked the clock, figuring it would take us about a half hour to get ready and get over there. "…would nine-thirty be okay? We could probably be there around nine-fifteen, but I can't account for Ushio right now."

" _Nine-thirty would be fine, but the sooner you could get here the better."_

I took a deep breath to help finish waking up. "All right, I'll do my best. See you in a bit."

" _I look forward to it, Tomoya,"_ she replied. _"See you later."_

I ended the call as I hurried out of my room and down the hall to Ushio's door. "Sweetie?" I called as I gently knocked. "Grandma Furukawa just invited us to breakfast. Can you be ready soon?"

I heard a squeal from within the room, bringing a smile to my face. _"Daddy! I'll be ready soon! Can I have fifteen minutes?"_

"That's fine," I replied. "I set up for us to be there at nine-thirty, but it'd be good if we could get there sooner."

" _All right, I'll hurry."_

Knowing that it would take her a few minutes to do what she needed to do in her room, I headed back down the hall and into the washroom to take care of some basic personal hygiene. One face-wash and teeth-brushing later, I hurried back to my room to get dressed.

A few minutes later I went into the living room to find Ushio dressed, but with messy hair. "Could I brush my hair on the way there?" she asked, holding up her hairbrush. "I don't want to keep everyone waiting."

"I guess that's fine," I chuckled. "Are you ready to go otherwise?"

"Yup!" she chirped with a bright smile and a sweep of her brush through her hair.

I chuckled again as we switched out our shoes and then headed out.

"When did Grandma invite us over?" she asked as I fought with the lock.

"I'm not sure," I replied as the stupid lock finally clicked. "She woke me with her call, so it was probably around eight."

"That's an interesting time to call," she remarked, and I looked over to see her in deep thought, if her wrinkled nose was any indication. "I don't remember Grandpa or Grandma ever calling that early."

"I dunno," I said with a shrug. "We haven't been to their place for breakfast in a long time; maybe she wasn't sure when we have breakfast so she wanted to make sure to catch us in time."

"That could be…" she mused as she struggled with a tangle.

We were quiet for the rest of the walk, Ushio working on her hair while I worked on finishing my wake-up.

The shutters to Furukawa Bakery were still closed, and I felt a heaviness at a sudden memory of meeting Mom Furukawa for the first time, mistakenly believing that she was Nagisa's sister and all. I cleared my throat and shook my head to file the memory away for later, then reached out to knock on the bakery door.

To my surprise, Dad was the one who answered the door. "Ah, Cosmo!"

"Oh, good grief," I griped; it had been years since he'd used any of the idiotic nicknames he and Mom had come up with. "Good morning, Dad."

"Good morning," he returned with a lopsided grin as he stepped aside to let us in, hugging Ushio as she passed. "Go on in; breakfast is already on the table."

"I hope we didn't keep you waiting too long," I heard my daughter say apologetically.

"No, not at all! As a matter of fact, your grandma just got the last thing on the table," he said as he waved us toward the living room.

I smiled as I smelled rice, egg and fish coming from the room just ahead and I entered, opening my mouth to greet Mom, and….froze.

"G-Good morning, Okazaki-sama," Mika greeted as she sat with Mom at their kotatsu. "I h-hope the morning find you well."

"Y-Yeah…" I said, my feet starting again as I felt a push from behind – Dad, most likely. I settled into the place where Mom indicated which was, of course, right next to Mika. "Wha…What's going on?"

"Hiiragi-san stopped by to meet with us last night," Mom told me as Ushio sat down next to me. "After chatting for a bit, we decided to meet for breakfast."

"Good for you?" I said as I noticed that my admirer was wearing a kimono. "Mika, why are you dressed like that?"

"Let us start breakfast first, then we can answer your questions," Mom said, gesturing to the meal before us.

In the end, Dad sat at the head of the table, with Mom to his left and Ushio next to her, while I sat to his right, and Mika sat next to me…in a kimono.

"Shall we?" Mom chirped, and then put her hands together, the rest of us following suit.

After we had eaten for a bit, Mom spoke up. "You ask an important question, Tomoya; why is Mika dressed the way she is?"

"Thanks… I think," I said, very uncomfortable with the idea of Mika being around Nagisa's parents.

Instead of answering immediately, Mom looked across the table to my admirer. "Hiiragi-san? Would you like to tell him or shall I?"

"I-" was all Mika could get out, and a quick glance told me that she hadn't even touched her meal yet, and I figured that Mom would be the one answering.

As it turned out, I was right. "She is here to ask for our permission to date you," Mom told me.

"I figured," I said quietly, trying to keep my temper in check; why was I so angry?

"Daddy? Are you okay?" I barely heard my daughter ask.

"No. No, I am not okay," I said. "I feel like…" I cleared my throat in an effort to release the tightness that had formed. "I…feel like ever since she started coming over to help me out, she's been shoving her way into my life, and now she's trying to push Nagisa out."

I heard a gasp from my right and looked to see Mika with her hands over her mouth and tears in her eyes. "Do…Do you really believe that, O-O-"

"I don't know what to believe anymore!" I yelled as I shot to my feel. "I've barely got myself pulled together, and… Why? Why is everyone okay with this?" I whirled on Mom. "Are you and Dad really okay with this?! She's trying to replace your daughter!"

"I-I don't believe that to be the case," Mom said, and her stutter told me that I must have looked terrifying.

"Me neither," Dad said, "and you need to cool off, Tomoya."

I took a deep breath to try and slow the unfinished thoughts that were racing through my mind. "I… You're right; I need to cool off. Please excuse me," I said as I bowed quickly. "Ushio, please stay here until I get back."

"Okay, Daddy," she said, and I could see worry in her eyes.

Any other responses were lost as I raced out of the room, down the hall and out the front door of the bakery. My mind and heart were racing, but I knew exactly where I needed to go.

* * *

I knocked on the front door of the church and waited as patiently as I could, and it seemed like forever before the front door opened. "Well, good morning, Tomoya-san!" Pastor Jeff greeted, and I immediately started to feel calmer. "What brings you here this morning?"

"Good morning, Pastor," I returned. "I was hoping you could spare the time to talk-"

"Whoa, easy there," he said, resting a hand on my shoulder. "Slow down a bit; you're slurring and your words are running together."

They were? I took another deep breath on focused on calming myself. "Sorry about that. Do I sound better now?"

"You still sound agitated, but at least I can follow what you're saying now," he replied with a concerned look. "Come in and let's see what's going on." I couldn't trust that I wouldn't 'speed-talk' again, so I simply nodded as I followed him into the church. He led me down the hall and into the kitchen. "I hope you don't mind if I eat; I was just sitting down to breakfast."

"That's right; you have one of your services today, don't you?" It seemed like it'd been so long since I attended one of the church meetings.

"That I do!" he said as he headed over to his small meal table. "Oh; have you eaten?"

"Yeah, I have."

"I'd offer you coffee, but you already seem pretty wound up… Have a seat," he said, gesturing to the chair across from his meal. "Unless you'd prefer to stand; either is fine."

I nodded as I took my seat.

"So, what's going on?" he asked casually as he settled in front of his breakfast.

"I…I'm not sure," I replied honestly. "I was just at Mom and DadFurkawa'sand-" I cut myself off as I realized I was starting to speed up again. "I…was…just at Mom and Dad Furukawa's; Mom had invited Ushio and I to breakfast, but when we got there, Mika was there."

"Okay…" he said, presumably to let me know he understood so far.

"Mom told me that she was there to ask permission to date me."

His eyebrows jumped. "Indeed? So, what's the problem?"

"She's trying to replace Nagisa!" I exclaimed, and I could feel myself starting to get worked up again so I took another deep breath.

"How so?"

"By…" I started my answer but realized that I couldn't finish it. How was Mika trying to replace Nagisa?

"With all respect, Tomoya-san, I don't think that's what she's trying to do."

"But she wants to be my wife!"

"Yes, but that doesn't necessarily mean that she's trying to replace Nagisa," he replied, then leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table and his chin in his hands. "Why does this have you so worked up?"

"Because I feel like she's trying to replace Nagisa."

"In what way?"

That I didn't have an answer for, and I admitted as such. "Do you think I'm being irrational about this?"

"Yes, I do. But you obviously have some reason for feeling the way you do. What is that reason?" He leaned back in his chair, apparently having forgotten his breakfast, and studied me. "What emotions are you feeling right now?"

"I'm... I think I'm feeling panicky," I answered.

"Okay. Panic is a normal emotional response to a high-stress situation. So, at some level you think – no, believe – that you were in a high-stress situation." He steepled his fingers, tapping his index fingers against his chin. "You said that Mika was there, right?"

"She was there, yeah."

"Okay, that could account for at least some of your panic response." He blinked. "Wait; did you know that she was going to be there?"

"No, I didn't."

He nodded several times. "Okay, I think I'm starting to get an idea of what happened; you went to the in-laws, thinking that you would just have breakfast. But when you got there you were thrown the proverbial curveball in the form of Mika, who was…asking their permission to date you or something like that. Do I understand correctly?"

"Y-Yeah." Something about Pastor Jeff's presence always had a way of calming me, which was sometimes unsettling in its own way. "Yeah, you're right."

He unlinked his fingers to cross his arms and close his eyes, and I got the sense that he was praying.

Finally, he opened his eyes. "Tomoya-san; what's keeping you from accepting Mika?"

"Excuse me? Where did that come from?"

He spread his hands. "I don't mean to sound like I'm blaming you, but a lot of this is because Mika still has her hopes up due to you not outright turning her down."

"But I have," I protested, inwardly pleased that I was starting to feel better. "When she confessed to me, I told her that I couldn't return her feelings."

"Maybe I phrased that incorrectly," he murmured as he turned unfocused eyes toward the table. After a moment he looked back to me. "What I'm talking about is cutting her out completely; no dinners, no visits…nothing. I mean cutting her off completely."

My stomach slithered to my shoes. "I…I couldn't do that…"

"Why not?"

"Because it'd be cruel!" I exclaimed, surprised that he would even suggest such a thing.

"Any less cruel than what she's going through right now?" he countered.

I couldn't think of any way to respond to that.

"Tomoya-san; I believe I've asked you this before but… Would you say that Mika has enriched your life?"

"Well, yeah."

"I mean more than just your shoulder," he added while giving me a knowing look.

"You mean…like my spirit?"

"Soul, spirit, anything like that, yes," he replied.

"Well, yeah," I repeated. "Why?"

He sighed as he shook his head. "Tomoya-san, there's something…deep...within you that's keeping you from accepting her, and I don't think it's her."

I bit back a smart-alecky reply. "What is it?"

He sighed again. "I don't know per se, but I can hazard an educated guess. Would you be willing to hear me out?"

"If you think it'll help, sure," I said, suddenly feeling tired.

He looked up at the ceiling again as he gathered his thoughts. Finally, he lowered his gaze to me again. "I think it ties into how your life has gone so far. Like you've said; every time you get something good, something always happens that takes it away. First your mother, then your shoulder, then your wife…" He blinked as though he suddenly realized something. "Are you waiting for something to take your daughter away from you?"

I felt my skin grow cold with the shock. "How…How did you know?"

"I didn't," he admitted, "but once we see a pattern out of life we come to expect more of that. In your case, repeated losses." He took a deep breath. "I'm going to go out on a limb here and suggest that the real problem is not your relative ages or your financial situations or anything like that; I think you're afraid that if you accept Mika that something will happen to take her away from you the way it did with your mother and your wife."

I gasped as everything started to make sense. "That's why I like having her around but try to keep her at arm's length."

"Exactly." He sighed as he continued to study me. "Do you think you're cursed, Tomoya-san?"

"Cursed?" I'd never considered that, but… "I don't think so."

"In that case, I'd call this what we Christians call 'an agreement with Satan'," he said as he took up his fork and poked at what must have been cold scrambled eggs.

"An agreement with Satan?" I echoed. "What does that mean?"

"It's where we accept something bad in our life as normal as a way of coping with it," he replied after swallowing his bite. Then, he grimaced. "I'm sorry, do you mind if I reheat this?"

"No, go ahead," I chuckled, waving in the direction of the microwave. "Sorry for disrupting your breakfast."

"Please, don't apologize," he said as he headed over to the counter. "You have a lot on your mind and heart; I'm just glad that I can be used to help."

"You have been, thanks," I said, finally feeling warmth in my chest; it seemed like it had been forever. I leaned back in the chair and crossed my arms as I thought. "I guess it could be this 'agreement' you're talking about, or coping mechanism or whatever."

He said nothing, but I could feel his attention on me as he worked.

Unsure of what exactly to think, I clapped my hands down onto my legs. "All right; let's say you're right; what do I do?"

"Well," he said as he reclaimed his seat, "were you a Christian, I would suggest that you put your trust in Him." Before I could reply he continued. "But as far as I know, we don't have that option."

"So…" I said as I gestured to him.

"All I can do is tell you to stop accepting it," he said somewhat sternly. "I don't know what you're intended for, Tomoya-san, but I can tell you that you are not intended to be life's punching bag."

I tried to suppress a snort, but failed.

"You were created with potential. Granted, some of that was lost due to the free will that God gives all of us, including your father, who made a bad choice when he chose to model violence for you."

I sat quietly, impressed by his words.

"You have chosen to accept a lie about yourself; namely, that you are not allowed good things." He put his fork down to fix me with his gaze. "You have to tell it 'no', Tomoya-san. If nothing else, you have to tell it 'no'. No, you will not accept the lie that good things are for other people but not for you. No, you will not accept the lie that you were made to be a loser…" With the way he was talking, it sounded like he was standing in front of his congregation. "And this has nothing specifically to do with Mika; it could be about your job, your family, your friends…" He reached across the table to take me by the shoulders, and for some reason he had tears in his eyes. "Spit in Satan's eye, Tomoya-san; tell him you won't accept his lies, for you belong to one greater than him."

"But, Pastor…" I said, feeling awkward and kinda sad at the same time, "…I'm not a Christian."

He blinked and removed his hands form my shoulders. "Right. Sorry." He gave me an embarrassed smile. "I guess I got a little carried away, there; I let God 'speak through me', if you will."

I couldn't think of anything to say as I…just…looked at him. "Do you really think I could fight this? And win?"

"This is not the way you were meant to be, of that much I can be certain," he replied as he spread his hands. "So yes, these lies can be overcome."

I suddenly realized that I felt…calm, relaxed. "I guess I have some thinking to do."

"So it would seem," he said with a kind smile. "Should we wrap things up, then?"

"Yeah, I think that's a good idea," I said as I started to get up from the table. "Thanks for your time, and…sorry again for disrupting your breakfast."

"Don't worry about it," he said, getting up from his seat as well. "That's where microwaves come in handy," he finished with a wink, causing me to chuckle. "Before you leave; may I pray for you? I know you're not a Christian, but…"

"Yeah, that's fine," I replied with another chuckle.

He gave me another wink before resting a hand on my shoulder and closed his eyes; out of courtesy, I did the same. "Lord Jesus, thank you for our time together this morning. Thank you for Tomoya-san, who's going through a very difficult time right now. Please grant him peace, guidance, and wisdom in his situation, and show him that you have made him to be a winner in life and not bound by the lies that he hears, be they from without or within. Bless him as he goes out today, and show him your kindness and mercy. May your will be done." I felt a couple claps on my shoulder and opened my eyes to see him smiling down at me; he was pretty tall, after all. "How are you feeling right now?"

"Drained," I half-whined, "and my day's barely started."

"I'm sorry your day started off on the wrong foot," he said sincerely.

"Thanks," I murmured. "I have an 'ice cream date' with Fuuko this afternoon, but I'm not sure if I'll be up to it."

"Go home and get some rest," he said, patting me on the shoulder again. "You've earned it. Give yourself up to about a couple of hours before your get-together, and if you really think you can't do it, just call her and apologize; I'm sure she'll understand."

"Yeah, you're probably right," I sighed as we headed back to the entrance. "Thanks, Pastor. I hope your service goes well today."

"I'll be praying for you," he said as he opened the front door for me. "May your day end better than the way it started."

"Thanks…again," I chuckled.

As I headed back toward the bakery I thought about what I would need to say to Mom and Dad; I had left rather abruptly, and rudely at that. "Guess I'll start with an apology and see what happens," I grumbled, mainly at my own behavior.

I started feeling awkward as the front of the bakery came into view, and I was surprised to find Dad Furukawa waiting out front. "Hey," he greeted, lighting a cigarette as I approached.

"Hey," I returned. "Sorry about earlier; my outburst and all."

"Yeah," he grunted before taking a draw from his smoke. "You know, I told Sanae that we should have told you about the Hiiragi girl, that there are some surprises that you just shouldn't spring on a guy, but..." He shrugged a shoulder as he looked at me with an apologetic expression.

"She didn't listen, I guess," I said, feeling the need to state the obvious.

"Nope," he said with his smoke clutched in his teeth as he tugged at the belt loop of his pants. "Looking back, I should have put my foot down, but sometimes women have to learn the hard way…just like us," he said, taking the cigarette out of his mouth to flick the ashes. "I'm really sorry about that, Tomoya." He jerked his thumb over his shoulder and toward the door to the bakery. "Sanae's inside with Shio-chan; give her a chance to apologize, okay? She's been torn up since you left."

I started toward the door, but paused. "Is Mika still here?"

"Nah," he said with a shake of his head. "She left shortly after you did. She's a nice girl."

"Yeah, she is," I chuckled. "She's also too high-class for someone like me. Anyway, is it okay to go in?"

"Yeah, go ahead," he replied, jerking his thumb toward the door again. "She's actually been waiting for you."

I sighed as I headed into the bakery and over to the do-

"Tomoya."

Dad's voice stopped me again, and I half-turned to look over my shoulder at him. "Yeah, Dad?"

He walked up to me with a thoughtful expression on his face, then clapped a hand on my shoulder. "If she thought she was too high-class for you, she wouldn't be pursuing you the way she has."

The thought had occurred to me, but… "Are you and Mom really okay with her replacing your daughter?"

He gave me a look of disbelief. "She wouldn't be replacing Nagisa, brat; she'd just be your wife."

"Fine, but would you be okay with that?"

"That's what she came over to ask about, remember?" he said with a lopsided grin. "Now go in and talk to Sanae; she's been waiting long enough."

I gave him a grin of my own before heading through the door that led from the bakery to their home. I headed down the hall and into the living room to find Mom with Ushio, talking quietly.

"Hi, Daddy!" Ushio chirped as she hopped up from her seat. "Are…you feeling better now?"

"A lot better," I replied as I sat down across from Mom. I noticed that her eyes were slightly puffy and red, which served to twist the knife already n my gut. "I'm sorry for the way I acted earlier, Mom. I just…" I trailed off, realizing that any explanation I tried to give would sound more like a rationalization for my behavior, so… "I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault, Tomoya," she said as Dad came into the room and sat next to her. "I know how much you miss Nagisa, so I should have told you what was going on."

"Don't worry about it," I said. "I could have dealt with this a long time ago, but my cowardice kept me from taking care of it." Remembering my unanswered question I asked, "Would you be okay with Mika becoming my wife?"

"Are you really thinking about marrying her, Daddy?" Ushio asked in an astonished tone.

"Not now Ushio, please," I said, lifting a hand.

Mom sniffed a couple of times and dabbed at her eyes with a tissue. "She's such a lovely young lady. In some ways, she reminds me so much of Nagisa."

"Really?" I'd never thought of that before; was Mika really like Nagisa? Could that have been why I was starting to feel drawn toward the girl?

"She does; in fact, that's part of the reason I've been crying," she replied as she waved a tissue toward her own face. "The rest of it being due to how my actions affected you."

I got up from my seat and headed around the table to offer her my hands. She let me help her to her feet, and I gave her a long hug, which she eagerly returned. "I'm fine, Mom. I'm sorry for the way I acted."

"You had your reasons, Tomoya. I'm just glad you seem to be better now," she said as she stepped away and dabbed at her eyes again.

"Did you go see Pastor Jeff?" Ushio asked.

I chuckled awkwardly as I rubbed the back of my neck. "Yeah. Yeah, I did. He really helped me see some things that I'd been missing."

"Like what?" Mom asked.

I opened my mouth to answer, but… "I'm…not really ready to talk about it just yet; it's all kinda new, so I need some time to think about it. Anyway…"

"If the two of you wanted to marry, you'd have our blessing," Dad said as Mom sat back down.

"But I don't get it," I said, still having a hard time with the idea. "You understand that we're eighteen years apart, right? For crying out loud, she's the same age that Nagisa was when I first met her."

"We know," Mom said with a warm smile.

"We also don't care," Dad added. "Nagisa wouldn't want you sad and alone for the rest of your life. And for her age, Hiiragi-san seems pretty mature."

"She definitely has her head on straight, unlike me," I chuckled, drawing smiles from my in-laws. "Well, I don't mean to be rude, but I need to get home; I'm supposed to be meeting a friend for ice cream shortly after lunch, and I'd like some time to get ready."

"Would it be okay if Shio-chan stayed with us for the afternoon?" Mom asked.

"Yeah, that's true," I realized. "She doesn't have to go home. Well, it's up to her," I said, gesturing to my daughter. "You want to spend the day with your grandparents, sweetie?"

"I'd love to!" she squealed. "Thanks, Daddy!"

"We'll send her on her way before dinner," Dad told me as Mom nodded. "You'll probably want her there when the Hiiragi girl shows up, right?"

"R-Right." In all the excitement, I'd forgotten that Mika would be showing up to make dinner; even so, how I could forget after all this time I'd never know. "Well, I guess I'll see you later, then." I gave a lame wave before heading out of the room and to the exit.

I was halfway through the bakery when Mom's voice stopped me. "Tomoya! Wait a moment, please!" I turned to see her hurrying up to me. "First; please do not beat yourself up over earlier, okay?"

"All right," I replied. "I wasn't planning on doing that, but thank you."

"And second…" She took my hands and paused, and I could tell that she was thinking about how she wanted to say what she…well, wanted to say. "Second; please, please seriously consider giving Hiiragi-san a chance."

I sighed with a smile… It was official; everyone who knew me had said that they would approve of a relationship with Mika. "I will; I promise."

"Thank you." Her lower lip quivered in spite of her smile as she released my hands. "Have a wonderful day."

"You, too," I said, then gave her one last hug before leaving the bakery.

After what seemed like a long walk home, I wrestled my way through the door, swapped out my shoes, made my way down the hall to my room and, after setting an alarm, collapsed on my floor.

* * *

I woke to the sound of my cell phone's alarm tone and groaned my way to my feet. I made my way to the washroom, splashed cold water on my face, and felt remarkably better. "It's amazing what a short nap can do," I told my reflection. I knew, though, that it wasn't just the nap; Pastor Jeff's help with working through my issue really seemed to take a load off my shoulders that I never knew I had. I actually felt lighter.

As I entered the living room, I called out to Ushio to ask her what she wanted for lunch before I remembered that she was still over at her grandparents' house. So I went ahead and had a late but healthy lunch, switched out my shoes, and headed out the door.

I could already feel a hint of autumn in the air as I headed to the ice cream shop, and I made a mental note to see about taking Ushio to visit her great-grandmother Okazaki's grave before school started again. I swallowed a lump as I remembered the last time I saw her before she died, about five or six years ago. "Everyone's getting older…" I mused, feeling another sense of loss. "Well, except for Sunohara, of course," I snorted, shaking my head as I thought back to his antics at my last counseling session. "What an idiot."

As the ice cream shop came into view I saw a figure that looked like Fuuko. Short, with long brown hair tied toward the end… As I got closer and saw that it was her, I got a good look at her outfit; a light-brown dress with shoulder straps over a white, short-sleeved shirt. A sunhat that was white but not quite white sat on top of her head. I chuckled as I realized that the thirty-six-year old looked like a little doll. "Good afternoon, Fuuko," I greeted while raising a hand.

Her eyes snapped to me like I'd startled her. "G-Good afternoon, Okazaki-san."

"You okay?" I asked as I stopped in front of her. "Sorry if I startled you."

For some reason, she cast her gaze to the ground between us. "It…It's okay."

Unsure of how to continue, I gestured toward the shop. "Well, are you ready for ice cream?" She simply nodded, so I led the way, opening the door to let her go first. "Go ahead and get whatever you want; I know you invited me, but I'd like to treat, if that's okay."

"O-Okay."

As we entered the shop and gave our orders I noticed that Fuuko seemed to be spacing out rather frequently. I kept my concerns to myself until we had sat at one of the outdoor tables and started eating. "Are you okay?" I asked carefully. "You seem…distracted."

"Eh?" Fuuko suddenly sat straight up and snapped her gaze to mine. "N-No! I mean, yes! I mean…" She shook her head vigorously, then had to grab for her hat as it started to fall off her head. "Fuuko's fine!" she yelped as she worked on putting her hat back on. "Fuuko's perfectly fine!"

"If you say so," I said, concerned at her sudden reversion in speech; she'd been using pronouns since we'd met each other again, so she must have been stressed for some reason. Then, it clicked; she was probably nervous because she was seeing our get-together as a date, while I wasn't. I decided to change the subject, hoping to put her more at ease. "How's life at the bookstore?"

"Fine," she replied, but without much energy.

"That's good," I said, not sure what else to say.

We sat for several minutes, eating ice cream and saying nothing to each other. Considering how near-hyper she was back when she was helping me with Ushio, it was a real surprise.

"Okazaki-san…? Do you…like that...purple-haired girl?" I heard her ask in a quiet voice; well, that didn't take long.

"Which one?" With the way things had gone with Kotomi and Sakagami, I figured she was referring to Mika, but I wanted to be sure to avoid any potential misunderstandings.

"That one that asked if she could still love you," she replied in the same quiet tone. "The one at the table by herself."

"That would be Hiiragi Mika-san," I offered. "And of course I like her; she's a very kind girl who helped me when I was down."

She surprised me with an annoyed look. "Fuuko thinks that Okazaki-san knows exactly what Fuuko means by 'like'."

I sighed as I hung my head. "Yeah, If figured. And I don't know; maybe."

"Fuuko talked to Hiiragi-san at the restaurant, you know."

I was initially surprised until I realized that made sense, since Fuuko had gone with her sister and brother-in-law to lunch. So, they'd talked while I was home, huh?

"We talked on the way back to the restaurant, and some more at the restaurant," she continued, apparently unaware of the ice cream melting onto her hand. "Even though Fuuko knows about Mika-san's feelings, Fuuko thought that…" She trailed off as she started licking at her ice cream again, including some that had run onto her hand.

"Did you think you could 'win me over'?" I asked, my desire for truth temporarily overshadowing my manners.

She nodded absently. "Fuuko's known Okazaki-san for a long time, and Fuuko's liked Okazaki-san for a long time, but…" She lifted her gaze back to me. "Fuu… I…was afraid."

"Of what?"

She sighed with a small smile. "I know that I'm not…normal because of the accident," she replied, surprising me. "When I hear myself talk and then hear other people talk, I can tell that I'm…different."

"That doesn't make you any less of a person," I tried countering.

"Thank you," she said, her smile broadening. "But it does mean that I'm going to feel more…more…" Her eyes lost focus as she searched for the right word.

"Uncomfortable?' I suggested.

"Inadequate," she replied. "Especially when it comes to guys that I like."

It was hard to miss the meaning behind her words. "I'm sorry I didn't notice sooner."

"You were hurting," she said. "You'd just gotten Ushio back, and you were trying to get better from the loss of your wife."

"Wait…" The accountant in me reflexively did the simple math. "Ten years? That's how long you….?" I gestured at her, unable to finish my sentence.

She nodded solemnly. "I tried to make myself pretty for you, hoping you'd notice."

"I do remember you messing with your hair a lot while you were over," I said. "So you were…'making yourself pretty'?"

She nodded again, then looked down as a blush started to form. "I've never told anyone this before, but part of the reason I gave Shio-chan so much attention was to…distract myself from how good-looking you were."

"Seriously?" I could hardly believe my ears. "When you first came over, you were all 'Shio-chan! Shio-chan!' Are you saying that you were…well, you were partly distracting yourself?"

She nodded with a blush as she took a bite out of her cone.

I leaned back in my seat, only to have to lean forward again as my ice cream threatened to drip onto my shirt. "I…don't know what to say." What was I supposed to say? I'd been blind for years when it came to girls, and then women.

"You don't have to say anything," she replied, then straightened slightly. "I started at the bookstore with the plan to adopt Shio-chan, but a couple of things happened…"

I said nothing, but showed her my full attention.

"…One, I realized that my idea was really immature…" she said with a giggle, "…and Two, I'd gotten so caught up in my job that I'd kinda forgotten about adopting her."

"You were focused on your own life," I noted. "Nothing wrong with that."

She flashed me a grateful smile. "Except that I also ended up forgetting to…to…" Her forehead wrinkled as she thought; had I any idea what she was trying to say I would have tried to help her. Then her eyes widened as her face turned molten. "N…Never mind! N-Never mind!" She quickly looked away, apparently unable to even look at me.

I smiled, feeling sympathy toward the poor girl-er, woman. "That's fine, Fuuko; if it's embarrassing to say, I under-"

"No!" she yelled, suddenly whipping her head back around to nearly glare at me and causing me to twitch in my chair. "Fuuko needs to say this! Fuuko needs…closure!"

"I-If you say so," I managed to say.

I thought her eyes would burn right through me as she leaned toward me over the table, her cone held out to the side. "I…wanted to…wear…pretty clothes…for you," she struggled to say, her face still beet-red.

I blinked several times. "Oookay. So you wanted to wear pretty clothes for me… I don't see how that's embarrassing."

She shook her head so hard I was afraid she'd hurt herself. "No! You don't understand! I'm not talking about dresses and stuff like that! I was talking about…" She quickly covered her mouth, looking like she was about to throw up, and my stomach slithered to my shoes as I realized what she was likely talking about.

I pointed at her. "You…weren't talking about…under…"

She nodded, hands and all, and I had to fight a sudden impulse to imagine the petite woman across from me in lingerie. "Fuuko's sorry!" she whispered intensely. "I just… I had to be honest with you!"

"Well, I didn't need to know that much," I said, feeling more awkward than I ever had, "but if you needed to get it off your chest..." I trailed off, feeling even more awkward at my choice of words.

Fortunately, she didn't seem to realize the possible double-meaning. "Thank you, Okazaki-san; I actually do feel much better now."

"I'm…glad?"

She removed her hands from her mouth, and I noticed that her blush had faded. "You're a good man, Okazaki-san; I'm sorry for making you uncomfortable."

"Don't worry about it," I said as I worked on pulling my stomach back up to where it belonged.

We finished up our cones at about the same time, and she pulled out what looked like wet napkins from her bag, offering me one. "So, are you going to marry that nice purple-haired girl?" she asked, and I could hear resignation in her voice.

"You know, it seems like everyone's been asking me that lately," I complained as I accepted the wipe. "I don't know, Fuuko; at this point, I'm not even sure who I am."

"A lot happened that Saturday," she said, and I figured she was referring to my counseling session. "Fuuko thinks that Hiiragi-san would be good for Okazaki-san."

I was starting to feel a little dizzy from her rapid switches from normal grammar to 'Fuuko-speak'. "I'm sure she'd appreciate the vote of confidence."

"Are you done?" she asked as she got to her feet, and I quickly followed suit. "She'll be home to make dinner for you, right?"

"How did you…? Right, the lunch," I said, remembering that she had talked with Mika at the lunch following my session. "She told you about that, huh?"

"Yeah," Fuuko replied, sounding somewhat distracted as we walked. "She was so happy to be able to help you; even if she hadn't said she loved you at the session, I could just…tell."

"She hasn't been very subtle about it," I said, feeling like I'd had a similar conversation before.

"Yeah," she repeated, shifting her gaze to the ground before us.

We walked in silence for several minutes; I didn't know the way to her place, but I figured I'd follow her until she got sick of me or something.

"I'll go home from here," she said, pointing to our right as we approached an intersection. "I live down that way, but you don't need to walk me home."

"If you're sure…" I objected politely.

She looked up at me with a smile tinged with resignation. "Thank you, but…" It could have been my imagination, but it seemed like she stood up straighter as she took a deep breath. "Good luck with Hiiragi-san."

With the way the weekend had been going, I had a pretty good idea what she was talking about. "We'll…see what happens, thanks," I replied, trying to keep things as neutral as possible.

She nodded once before turning and heading down the street, away from me.

I watched her for a bit before turning my attention to my surroundings. "Now, where is my place from here…?"

"Make sure to send Shio-chan over every once in a while!" I looked back to find Fuuko cupping her mouth with her hands, then she waved with a huge smile before turning and hurrying back down the road.

I smiled as I lowered my arm from returning her wave...and started back, retracing my steps back to the ice cream shop to try to find my way home.

* * *

I sighed in relief as my apartment finally came into sight. It had taken me almost an hour to find familiar territory, and I was more than a little tired. I headed up to the front door and unlocked it, and was pleasantly surprised to find that the lock turned easily. Quietly, too. I figured that the landlord had fixed it while I was gone as I entered my home and switched out my shoes. I then headed to the living room. "I'm ho-"

What caused me to cut off my greeting was the sight of Mika, kneeling with her hands folded before the small shrine for Nagisa that Ushio and I had set up years ago. I then realized that I could hear her talking, albeit faintly: "…I'm sorry…take good care of… him…me strength…"

I was touched that she would honor my late wife in such a way. How long had she been doing this? Was that why she'd want to come early, while I was still at work? I backed into the entryway and scuffed my feet on the floor a couple of times and, sure enough, I heard her scrambling to her feet. I quickly reached down and pretended to pull one of my shoes on just before she came into view. "Good evening, Okazaki-sama!" she greeted with her usual smile and accompanying bow. "I didn't hear you come in."

"Yeah, the landlord must have replaced the lock or something," I said as I turned the bolt in the door…to the sound of screeching. "What the…?"

"You must have had the magic touch," I heard her quip as I turned the bolt several times, hearing the awful screech each time.

"Yeah," I chuckled, "maybe it was ma…gic…?" I trailed off as a flash of intuition brought Pastor Jeff's face to mind; was I supposed to hear Mika's prayer? "It…could be," I added, suddenly feeling vulnerable.

"Are you okay?" I heard her ask as I felt a comforting hand on my back. "Oh wow, you feel tense. Go and have a seat and I'll bring you some calming tea."

"S-Sure…" I managed as I headed over to the kotatsu; truth be told, the feeling of her hand on my back was comforting in and of itself. Or really, the heart behind that hand.

"The kettle's already warm, so this shouldn't take long," she called from the kitchen.

"Okay, thank you. Hey, is Ushio home yet?"

"Not yet," she replied. "Do you know where she is? I was a little worried when I had to let myself in."

I got up and headed to the entryway to the kitchen to make conversation easier. "The last I knew, she was over at her grandpa and grandma's place."

"The Furukawas?"

"Yeah," I replied, feeling another twinge of guilt from my morning activities. "Hey, uh…sorry about this morning. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she said, but it looked like she was pushing herself a little. "I was more worried about you; you seemed really upset."

"I was," I admitted, "but I talked to Pastor Jeff and he helped me sort things out."

"That's good," she said, sounding more relaxed. "The, uh, tea should be ready in a couple of minutes."

"Okay." I headed back to the kotatsu and settled in again. As I waited I felt that…swelling feeling in my chest, like my heart was being somehow filled. It made me nervous, so I worked on beating it back down.

" _You have to tell it 'no', Tomoya-san…"_

I gasped as Pastor Jeff's words from earlier came back to me; was this what I was supposed to fight? Was this part of my 'agreement with Satan' as he called it? It was worth a try, so I took a deep breath and focused on the anxiety: "No."

"I'm sorry, did you say something?" Mika called from the kitchen.

"Just talking to myself," I ground out, still focused on my mortal enemy. "I'm fine."

"Okay." She came out into the living room with a couple of steaming mugs and set one before me. "Oops, not that one," she said, quickly switching the mugs. "I don't think caffeine would be good for you right now."

"You're probably right," I chuckled as I gratefully accepted what I hoped was the correct mug. I took a sip and recognized the familiar sensation of chamomile. "Yeah, that's the one," I grunted as I felt the tea start to do its job. "Thanks."

She had her mug to her mouth so she couldn't answer, but she smiled around her sip of tea.

I returned her smile, then closed my eyes and let the scent of the tea work its miracle as I took another sip. I also worked on internally telling my anxiety 'no' over and over again, interested in what would happen.

I nearly threw the mug, however, when I felt a gentle grip on each of my shoulders. "It's okay," I heard Mika say soothingly, her voice barely above a whisper. "Let me…help you relax."

I internally fought it but ultimately relented, cursing my lack of spine yet again as I put my mug down and prepared myself for some awkward tender loving care. "All right; I'm as ready as I can be." She didn't respond, but started kneading my shoulders; it almost felt like a cat…minus the claws, of course. "Hey, that's nice," I intoned, feeling a little foggy.

"I'm glad you like it," she said, then pressed what felt like one of her knuckles into a tight section of muscle.

As she worked, I focused on my breathing; in and out, in and out…

I suddenly started to panic as that 'filling' feeling started again. "I…I'm sorry, Mika; could you stop, please?"

"Why?" she asked, sounding worried. "Did I hurt you?"

"No… No, it's not that," I said, wriggling my shoulders to get her to release them. "It's not your fault; it's something I've been dealing with."

"Do you want to talk about it?" she asked as she moved back to her seat. "I…I'm here for you."

Another twinge in my chest. "Stop that," I grunted.

"Stop what?" Her expression was a mix of confusion and concern.

"Just…" I rubbed roughly at my head; the 'filling' feeling was getting stronger, and I was starting to feel like I was suffocating. "Just…stop. Please."

"Okazaki-sama?" Her voice had turned pleading. "What's the matter?"

I sighed internally as I massaged my temples. "I just…" Oh, the hell with it. "When I talked with Jeff this morning, he…suggested that I have a hard time accepting good things because they've always been taken from me."

"Like your wife…" she breathed, her eyes losing focus.

"And my mom, and my shoulder," I added. "He said that it's a lie that I've accepted and that I need to tell it 'no'. That's what I was doing when I was talking to myself," I finished, feeling my face start to burn.

"But…that's so sad!" she exclaimed tearfully. "I know you've lost people dear to you, but to deny yourself happiness because of that…"

"That's what I'm working through," I said simply. "So every time someone does something nice for me or someone like you comes into my life and is good to me…" I gestured, unable to finish my thought.

"You expect something bad to happen to me…" she murmured with a look of despair. "I had no idea…"

"So I'm a mess right now, and not ready for any kind of relationship," I declared.

"I'm so sorry," she said as she rested a hand on mine.

I winced as I felt that 'filling' sensation again, and I pulled my hand out from under hers. "I'm…going to go lay down for a bit."

"O-Okay."

I gave what I hoped was a reassuring smile as I got to my feet and headed toward the hallway. "Thanks again for the tea," I said over my shoulder as I left.

"T-Tomoya-sama….?"

"Yes?" I said as I turned…only to be nearly tackled by her, her arms wrapping around my middle as I had to take few stumbling steps back. "M-Mika! What are you doing?!" She said nothing, but held me in an embrace, and I could feel that wonderfully awful feeling in my chest again. "Mika! Let go of me!"

No response.

I was starting to panic, and I actually had to hold myself back from attacking her. "NO!" I yelled. "Please! Let go of me! I don't want to hurt you!"

Still no response.

I tried to work my arms under hers to pry her off me, but I felt her fingers link behind me, and for an insane moment I could see my heart drawn as a meter, filling as she hung on to me. "Dammit, Mika! I don't want to feel good! I'm not supposed to feel good! Let go, damn you!"

She still didn't say anything, but I thought I heard her start to cry.

I felt sick to my stomach as my panic took over, and my hands seemed to clench on their own to smash down on the girl's back, only to be completely ineffective as the strength had left my arms. "Mika…please…" I felt my knees weaken as she changed her hold, sliding her hands up my back. "AH! AAUUUGGHHH!" It felt like years of pain and anguish left my body with every panicked yell as I dropped to the floor, Mika somehow keeping her arms around me.

"Tomoya…" I barely hard my name through my distress and her shuddering tears.

I gasped at the almost-physical sensation of my heart being filled completely, and it overflowed through my eyes as I wrapped my arms around her, crying tears of confused and terrified relief.


	36. Realization of a Dream

**Chapter Thirty-Six: Realization of a Dream**

I found myself walking down a long path that stretched into the distance, seemingly to infinity. The sky was a deep, rich blue, though it would turn cloudy and gray every so often. There were no buildings or road signs to be seen anywhere. I was forced to walk at the same pace, neither speeding up or slowing down, and I recognized it as the way my life had been going, moving on whether I was ready for it or not. I walked alone and, unsurprisingly, I was missing my right arm.

After walking for a really long time another path intersected with mine, and Nagisa started walking beside me, and the path widened just enough for the two of us. She was exactly as I remembered her: a warm, calming, and timid presence, and I felt happy and safe.

We hadn't walked for long before baby Ushio appeared in my arms, but Nagisa vanished from my side at almost the same time, and then Ushio disappeared from my arms, and I felt what had become a familiar emptiness and I stopped walking, though I continued to move forward, as though on a conveyor belt. The path stayed the same width as I moved alone.

I moved without walking for a long time before Ushio appeared again, only this time she was a little girl, with short brown hair under a blue and white hat, and even though I felt that familiar discomfort I started to walk slowly and felt my heart start beating again; I still moved forward at the same speed as before, though. As we walked she got taller and taller, becoming more and more beautiful, more full of life, and she started to glow, like the sun on a spring day. As she grew, her hair got longer and longer until it reached the small of her back. She was my life.

Another path intersected with ours, and Mika came from that path and walked with us, on the other side of my daughter. She had a warm, calming yet bubbly presence about her, and I felt happy and safe. In a way she looked like three girls to me, and I recognized elements of Ryou, Kyou, and Kotomi within her. While we continued to walk she somehow gave me nourishment, and I felt a twitch in my shoulder and held up my right hand and smiled at the sight of my restored arm.

Eventually Mika stopped us and held out her hand toward me, and I recognized the choice that I had to make; I could move on, leaving her behind, or I could take her hand and allow her to continue on the path with us. I knew, though, that if I took her hand that she would walk between me and Ushio from that point on, and I felt conflicted over what I would have to give up if I took her hand.

I looked over to Ushio, who gave me a bright smile and a nod, and I suddenly noticed that she wasn't the only one; Mom and Dad Furukawa, Mom and Dad Fujibayashi, my dad, Sakagami, Kotomi, Fuuko, along with many others… They were all smiling and nodding their approval.

So I looked back to Mika, and I noticed that she also held her other hand out to Ushio, as though she hoped to be accepted by my daughter as well.

I looked back to Ushio, who gave me another nod, so I reached out to take Mika's hand, and we started to walk together with Ushio on her other side, as I expected. What surprised me was that the change didn't hurt like I thought it would as we moved forward on the conveyor…which had stopped at some point without my knowledge; all three of us moved under our own power.

As we walked, a baby appeared in my arms, and I looked over at Mika and Ushio to find them with babies in their arms as well, and somehow I knew that they were all my children with Mika, and that Ushio was holding her baby sibling.

It was then that I realized that we were far from alone; in addition to my family and friends there were many other people of all different nationalities, walking with us and thanking us for helping them when they needed it most. I opened my mouth to tell them that I didn't know what I'd done for them, but what came out of my mouth was 'I'm just glad that I could be there for you'.

We continued to walk under our own power, and I could see in the far-off distance a bright glow up in the sky, with the road arcing upward toward it…

* * *

"Hey, Okazaki; wake up!"

I groaned yet again as I realized that I'd spaced out at work…yet again. "Dammit, did I do it again?"

"Yup," my boss replied from his seat on the corner of my desk as I slapped my cheeks. "What the hell's wrong with you today, Okazaki? Do I need to fire you to get you to do your job?"

"NO!" I yelled, waving my hands. "I'm really sorry, boss; it's…personal stuff. I'm really sorry for letting it affect my work."

I could feel his gaze on me as I tried to reorganize my work. "You know what? Take the rest of the day off."

My wide-eyed expression must have looked pretty funny. "A-Are you sure? I can-"

"You're no use to me all messed up the way you are," he said while pointing at me. "Besides, I know you've been dealing with a lot of stuff lately, but you've still managed to get your work done, and fantastically." He crossed his arms. "As far as I'm concerned, you've earned a half-day vacation."

"S-Sir…?"

He leaned forward to give me a knowing grin. "You've been yakking about taking your daughter to that one classroom at her school, right?"

I had mentioned to him that I'd wanted to take Ushio to the old Theater Club room, so I assumed he was referring to that. "That's right."

He pointed at me again. "Then that's your job for today; take your daughter to her school so she can meet her mother."

I smiled up at one of the best bosses a guy could ever have. "Thanks, boss; I'll get right on it."

He simply grunted before pushing himself off my desk to head back to his office, giving me a bored wave over his shoulder as he left.

I quickly organized my desk before grabbing the bag containing my half-eaten lunch and bolting for home.

* * *

"Today?!" Ushio was nearly beside herself when I told her my plans for the two of us. "Oh Daddy, that would be wonderful!"

"I called the school on the way home, and they told me that we could go in," I told her. "Just give me a few minutes to change and get ready, and we can get going."

"Can I make a lunch?" she asked with stars in her eyes. "I won't make anything really fancy; just a few sandwiches and some fruit and vegetables."

"As long as it doesn't take long to make, that's fine," I said, smiling at her enthusiasm. I then left her squealing in the kitchen area as I headed to my room to change. Even though my boss' offer had been so sudden, I felt ready to 'introduce' Ushio to her mother. I changed into my casual clothes, stopped by the bathroom to wash away any fatigue I'd accumulated, and headed back into the living room to find Ushio waiting for me with a medium-sized basket and a huge smile. "I take it you're ready, then?"

She nodded excitedly, apparently unable to speak; she was funny like that sometimes.

I shook my head with a grin as I switched out my shoes, then worked on unlocking our front door. As it opened I said, "It's been a while since I-WHOA!"

What startled me was the appearance of Mika just outside our front door. "G-Good afternoon, Tomoya-sama."

"Mika?' I said as I recovered from the surprise. "What are you doing here?' You're a little early, aren't you?"

She knotted her fingers as she glanced up at me repeatedly. "I…just happened to be nearby…and-"

"You were worried about Daddy, so you came here since you didn't find him at work," Ushio declared with a knowing smile. "Is that right, Mika-senpai?"

"Y-Yeah," she replied, then suddenly grabbed my hands and looked me in the eyes. "Are you okay? Your boss said he sent you home for a half-day vacation."

"Wait… You went to my work?" I asked, feeling my stomach start to turn.

She blinked a couple of times. "Well, yes. Did I do something wrong?"

I closed my eyes as my cheeks burned at how it would look to my boss to have a high-school girl looking for me at work. "Well, I'm not sure what my boss is going to think of me now."

"What do you mean?"

"Mika-senpai; I've met Daddy's boss before, so he knows what I look like," Ushio noted with a meaningful expression. "What Daddy's daughter looks like."

"And a high-school girl who is not his daughter just tried to visit him at work," Mika said, her face paling. "Oh, no; I hope I haven't caused any problems for you. I'm so sorry."

"I'll…deal with it," I said, trying to give her a reassuring smile while trying to not remember her role in my dream. "Anyway, Ushio and I are headed to the school to visit the old Theatre club room."

"May…I come along?" she asked.

"Mika, this is kind of a family….thing…" I trailed off as I remember her kneeling at Nagisa's shrine the day prior.

"Daddy?" I heard Ushio say quietly. "I'd be okay with Mika-senpai coming along."

I looked down into my daughter's honest expression and swallowed as I remembered how she'd found me – well, Mika and I – last night; both of us teary messes and holding each other. "I…sure," I said, partly relieved. "She's close enough to the family at this point."

"Great!" Mika chirped, clapping. "Thank you very much!"

"I only made enough lunch for Daddy and I, though," Ushio pointed out. "We really don't have time for me to make more."

"That's okay!" Mika exclaimed, and she pulled out a small bag from behind her back. "I made this to share with Tomo-er, your dad at work!"

"To share?" Ushio repeated with a knowing smile.

"I…I mean…" Mika stammered as she started to blush, then suddenly stood up straight with an aura of confidence. "Well, of course! Everyone knows how I feel about him, and they're okay with it! Why should it be a surprise?"

Ushio's knowing smile vanished, and she glanced awkwardly up at me. "Y-Yeah. You're right; I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Mika replied. "I know you weren't expecting one of your schoolmates to fall for your dad…"

I reflexively thought of Ushio's friend Kumiko as well as Mika's friend Sachi; did Mika know about either of those?

"…but it happened, and I'll do my best to not embarrass you at school," she finished, bowing toward my daughter.

"S-Senpai!" Ushio squeaked, her hands flying toward her mouth. "P-Please don't bow to me!"

"So, are we ready to go?" I asked while trying to suppress a chuckle at my daughter's distress.

"Yes!" both of the girls exclaimed, almost in unison.

Ushio and I swapped out our shoes and then the three of us headed for the school. The girls took the lead, chatting, while I followed and thought about my 'relationship' with Ryou's and Kappei's daughter. "I haven't talked to either of them in a while," I murmured to myself.

"Did you say something, Daddy?" Ushio asked, jarring me from my thoughts.

"Just thinking out loud," I replied, feeling my face heat up. "Don't mind me."

"Okay. Sorry if I interrupted," she said with a cute smile.

"No problem. Thanks." As she turned back to her conversation with Mika – who appeared to study me a little longer before giving my daughter her full attention – I went back to thinking about…well, Mika. Would I be betraying Nagisa if I remarried? Feeling the care and affection from Mika had caused me to realize that I'd been missing those things in my life. Ushio was a kind and compassionate girl, but our relationship was different; there would always be a barrier between us, keeping her from giving me the care that I was rediscovering that I needed as well as preventing me from giving her the kind of relationship she would want. It was an appropriate boundary, but it didn't change the fact that I had emotional needs that only a spouse could give.

"Tomoya-sama?" I blinked out of my reverie to find Mika walking next to me, just inches from my arm. "You look upset; are you okay?"

"I'm fine," I replied with a warm smile in response to her care; like I needed an example. "I just have a lot on my mind right now. I'm sorry if I'm bringing the mood down."

"You're not, Daddy," Ushio replied from my other side, drawing my attention. "Like Mika-senpai said; you looked upset, so we wanted to make sure you're okay."

"I'm fine," I repeated. "Thanks for worrying about me."

"I-It's my pleasure," Mika replied as she briefly squeezed my arm; it felt really good and way too brief. "We'll try to not bother you for the rest of the walk."

"It's not really a 'bother', but thanks."

With all the actors back in their original places, I went back to thinking about what to do about Mika as I studied her back. There was no doubt that she was a beautiful girl, with big, blue eyes, long, silky hair, and a very nice figure, and being able to see traits of each of her parents didn't bother me the way I thought it would. She also had a curiosity about things, which reminded me of Kotomi. I think her biggest draw, however, was how she cared for others, which reminded me a lot of Nagisa.

We arrived at the school and made our way to the old building, and I took the lead as we headed up the stairs and down the hall to the old Theater Club room. I reached out and slid the door open, smiling when it made a very familiar squeaking sound as it moved. "So they haven't fixed this, huh…?"

"What's that, Daddy?"

"The doorway," I said as I pointed to the floor track. "It squeaked almost exactly like this back when I was here."

"That's neat," Mika said warmly as we entered the room. "Does it make you feel like you're still connected to the school somehow?"

"Yeah, a little," I admitted sheepishly. "Of course, I wish I had better memories of the school, but…" I sighed as I felt a pressure behind my eyes. "Yeah, it makes me feel nostalgic." I looked around at all the boxes stacked in the room. "And as weird as it sounds, this mess makes me nostalgic, too; when Nagisa and I first came in here… Actually, I'd better start further back," I said, settling into one of the few desks in the room before looking to my daughter as she and Mika settled into a couple of nearby chairs. "See, your mom wanted to join the Theater Club after being sick the latter part of her first time as a third-year."

"Okay," Ushio said to let me know that she was following me.

"I happened to be up here when your mom tried to introduce herself to the club, so I followed her in as a sort of morale support, only we found the room full of boxes like this," I said, waving a hand to indicate the room. "It turned out that there weren't enough members to maintain the club so it had been disbanded. Nagisa really wanted to restart the club, so we came back here and rearranged the boxes so we could have some room to practice."

"That was very kind of you," Mika remarked with an adoring smile…which, to my diminishing surprise, didn't creep me out anymore.

"Thanks," I said, clearing my throat to hide my sudden bout of shyness. "After that we did some rehearsing, and Kyou helped out a bit as well, and we were able to help your mom put on a one-man play at the end-of the-year-program. Dad Furukawa got in on the act, too, yelling encouragement at Nagisa when she started to lose her nerve." I felt my face heat up. "I did, too. Yelled encouragement, I mean."

"Wow…." Ushio breathed, her eyes the size of saucers. "I never knew…"

"Well, I never really talked about it much…" I said, still feeling a little awkward.

"Was it because it hurt to remember?" Mika asked. I must have looked surprised because she quickly added, "I-It's not like I'd know personally, but I've heard people who wouldn't let themselves remember happy times if they also reminded them of sad times."

"No, you're right," I replied, surprised by her insight. "It's still kinda tough to talk about, but it doesn't hurt as much as it used to."

Mika didn't reply…verbally, at least; she gave me an understanding smile that warmed my heart and without creeping me out. A nice bonus.

"I'm glad it doesn't hurt as much anymore," Ushio said. "I've been wanting to hear more about Mom, but I've been afraid to ask."

"Aw, I'm sorry, sweetie," I said. "I'd like to be able to tell you more about your mom. It might take me a while, though."

"It's okay," she said with an understanding smile. "I can't imagine what it's like to be so close to someone only to lose them."

"And I hope you never do," I replied; I knew that someday she'd have to deal with the loss of her father – me – but by then she'd have enough other relationships that could help to soften the blow. She'd have others to comfort her, at least. "Just make sure to take care of yourself and whoever you marry."

"And I'll make sure to take good care of your dad," Mika interjected with a blush. "I want him around for a very long time."

"Then I'll leave him in your care," Ushio giggled. "You've taken such good care of him that I've been feeling like a bad daughter."

I opened my mouth to object, but Mika beat me to it. "I… For what it's worth, I don't think you're a bad daughter. I know I haven't really known you that long, but you were willing to learn what you needed to in order to take care of him, his meals for example." She sat up a little straighter in her seat. "To me, that speaks of a loving daughter who cares deeply about her dad."

"Mika-senpai…" Ushio breathed, clearly touched.

"Thanks, Mika," I said, touched as well. "Ushio here really looks up to you, so I'm sure she appreciates the praise."

"No problem!" she chirped with a smile and a flip of her hair.

"Wh-What was it like, trying to restart the Theater Club with Mom?" Ushio asked, and I could tell that she was trying to change the subject.

I crossed my arms as I leaned back in the desk. "Well, it was pretty low-key, even when Kyou was helping," I said as I tried to remember more details...then paled as I remembered that her niece was sitting right in front of me. "Sorry; no insult intended."

"I understand," Mika giggled. "Aunt Kyou has told me that she was…assertive back in high school."

"She's calmed down quite a bit since then," I agreed. "Anyway…Theater Club… Well, first I interviewed Nagisa to help her figure out how to pitch the Theater Club to the rest of the student body. She said that she wanted people to be able to laugh and cry…" I shrugged one shoulder. "I think she just wanted to have characters that people could relate to, kinda…go on the adventure with them. Does that make sense?"

"Perfect," Mika replied, beaming along with Ushio.

"After that, we… Oh, man; the Dango…" I couldn't help but chuckle at the memory.

"Are you talking about the Big Dango Family?" Ushio asked.

"Yeah," I chuckled again while feeling bad for chuckling. "She was so into them that she made an advertising poster full of them, even though they had nothing to do with the club."

"Oh, my…." Mika giggled.

"Yeah, she was really into them," I said, though I started to feel a pressure behind my eyes, and I pressed my fist against my mouth to try to stop myself from tearing up.

"I'm sorry, Daddy," Ushio said quietly as she got to her feet. "Let me go get you a tea; I forgot the drinks anyway."

"Thanks," I grunted, not trusting myself to say any more.

I focused on getting my emotions under control, and I heard the other chair scrape against the floor and a touch to my arm a moment later. "Tomoya-sama?" she said as she knelt next to me.

"I'll be all right," I replied through gritted teeth in response to her unasked question. "Just took me by surprise."

"Okay." A pause, then: "I'm not trying to replace her; you understand that, right?"

I swallowed a lump before meeting her gaze; I probably didn't look too good. "I know. I saw you praying before her shrine yesterday. How long have you been doing that?"

She cast her gaze downward. "Since I confessed to you." She drew her hair over her ear but still didn't meet my gaze. "I felt so bad that she died so young, and couldn't be there for you and for your daughter…" She wiped her face with her sleeve. "I still do."

"I…I didn't know…"

"That's why I wanted you to touch my hair and test my health," she explained, finally looking up at me as she reached up to rest a hand on my face. "I want you to know that I'll be here for you…for a very long time."

"I…appreciate that," I managed to reply through an emotion-constricted throat.

She stood up and moved behind my desk to embrace me from behind. "I wish I could take away your pain," I heard her say in a pain-filled voice. "I'm sorry that all I can do is be here to try and comfort you."

"Thanks for doing what you can," I grunted as I laid my hand over hers. "It means a lot to me."

"Tomoya-sama?" she said, her voice close to my ear.

"Yeah?" I replied, reflexively turning my head toward the sound of her voice.

I was surprised to feel my head stopped by a gentle pressure against my cheek along with a tightening of her grip on my shoulders. _"I love you so much,"_ she whispered in my ear after breaking her kiss.

I carefully nudged her around until I could take her face in my hands and return her kiss, only to her forehead. "Thank you."

We jerked in surprise as the door screeched open, and a grinning Ushio entered the room, drinks in hand. "Do you still need the tea, Daddy?" she asked in a teasing tone.

"I'll take it, thank you," I said as my face threatened to catch fire.

"Ushio-san; I understand that he is your father, but I'm asking you to stop teasing him when it comes to me," Mika told her. "He's been having a hard enough time as it is, so…please."

"O-Okay…" she stammered, her face turning almost as red as mine felt. "I'm sorry, Daddy."

"I…forgive you, sweetie," I said, still stunned by Mika's behavior. "It doesn't bother me, really."

"Now, Tomoya…" Mika said, turning her attention to me with her fists on her hips, "…I don't like lying; it damages a person's credibility as well as the relationship with the other person. Do you really mean to say that it doesn't bother you?"

Damn; this girl was good. "All right; it bothers me, yes. I'm sorry for lying, Ushio. It just…" I glanced over at Mika's disapproving expression, "…doesn't bother me enough for me to make an issue out of it."

"It's…okay, Daddy," my daughter replied, glancing cautiously over at her senpai. "I understand you meant well. And…I'll leave you two alone from now on."

"Thanks," I chuckled, exchanging a smile with Mika.

"Now!" Ushio chirped as she grabbed up the lunch bag; the thing was huge. "Let's spread out the blanket and lunch, eat, and see if we can feel Mom in here!"

"Sounds good," I said, sharing another smile with my admirer as I got up from my seat to help.

As expected, it didn't take long to get everything set up, and after thanking someone for the food I watched, amused, as Mika snatched up my paper plate to fill it. "Here you go!" she exclaimed as she placed my lunch before me; it had a couple of sandwiches on it, one that I could tell the Ushio had made, and one from Mika. It also had a variety of fruits and vegetables on it. "Eat up!"

"Thank you," I said, smiling at her exuberance as I reached for a sandwich.

"Are you going to try mine first, Daddy?" Ushio asked excitedly.

"I'd like to know what you think of my work," Mika said hopefully.

My hand paused; I knew exactly what they were doing, but I wasn't a high school student anymore and refused to play their game. "Tell you what," I said as I picked up a broccoli sprout, "you two decide which sandwich I'll eat first and then let me know; in the meantime, I'm going to enjoy some fruits and vegetables." With that, I grinned at them as I popped the green veggie in my mouth.

Their expressions told me that they realized that I was aware of their little competition. "H-He can eat your sandwich first, Mika-senpai," Ushio offered. "You're my senior, after all, and you want to be his wife."

"No, that's okay," Mika countered. "Y-You're his daughter, and I understand that family comes first."

As the two of them went back and forth about sandwiches I leaned back on my hands and closed my eyes; the room almost smelled the same as I remembered it, though I understood that all schools tended to small the same due to using the same materials and stuff. The girls' voices faded into the back ground as I went back years, back simpler times when it was just Nagisa and me; even thought I was pissed off at my dad back then, I was still pretty carefree compared to being a widowed salaryman with an adult daughter…

"Tomoya? Are you okay?

Mika's voice snapped me out of my musings, and I opened my eyes to look over at her. "Hm? Yeah, I'm fine; just remembering. Why?"

"Daddy…your eyes…" Ushio murmured as she handed me a napkin. "You…look like you're crying."

"I am?" I said as I brought my hand to my face; sure enough, it came back a little wet so I accepted the proffered napkin. "That's weird; I wasn't thinking about anything sad, just remembering when I was in school."

"Maybe you miss high school more than you think?" Mika suggested.

I considered her answer. "No… I don't really miss it that much; it was stressful, both here and at home, and…" I trailed off as a thought occurred to me. "I think it's because I didn't have the childhood I was supposed to have," I told them. "I mean, I'm not trying to feel sorry for myself, but my mom died when I was really young, then my chance at a future in basketball was ruined…"

"You feel like you drew the short straw, Daddy?" Ushio asked with sympathetic eyes.

"Something like that," I chuckled. "It's gotten a lot better since then, having you as my daughter and Mika as my…" I quickly cleared my throat as I glanced over at the purple-haired teenager, who was blushing as she looked at the blanket beneath us. "…in my life. The point is that things are great now, but that doesn't mean that I don't miss what could have been."

"I think I understand," my daughter replied quietly, and her expression reminded me that she was without a mother.

"Yeah, I guess you would, huh?" I said, humbled. "Sorry, sweetie."

"It's okay," she replied quietly. "At least I still have my daddy."

"And I plan on sticking around for a while," I told her with a smile.

"A-And I plan on helping you stick around," Mika added. "For a long time."

I wasn't sure what to say to that, so I busied myself with… "Have either of you decided which sandwich I'm going to eat first?"

The two girls looked at each other, then blushed.

"Fine. Then we'll do it this way," I announced as I picked up two sandwiches, one from Mika's bento and one from Ushio's basket; as expected, the sandwiches had been cut into triangles. I put the cut edges of each sandwich together and took a bite out of the combo. "This tastes weird," I grunted. "I'm tasting nut butter and chicken."

"That's because mine's the almond butter," Ushio giggled.

"And mine's the chicken salad," Mika added, also giggling.

I swallowed the awful monstrosity, then looked to the girls. "Happy now?"

"Not really," they replied in unison as they both sobered.

"Is it okay if I enjoy my lunch now?" I asked with good humor.

They both looked at each other before giggling again. "Go ahead, Daddy," Ushio said. "We'll behave."

As we ate, Ushio would occasionally ask me questions about her mom; what she was like in school, about our first meeting at the bottom of the hill leading to the school, and what it was like for us to date at school. Mika seemed interested in my answers, but her questions were more me; what school was like for me, how I felt about helping Nagisa with the Theater Club, or what I thought of her mother and aunt back in the day. I noticed that a lot of her questions focused on my side of whatever Ushio would ask about. It made sense, once I thought about it.

"Excuse me," Ushio said as she got to her feet and started for the door, and I figured she was headed for the bathroom. "I'll be right back."

"I'll…come with you," Mika said as she hurried to catch up. "I need to be right back, too."

"See you in a few," I said, returning their waves as they left the room, leaving me with my thoughts and memories. I grunted my way to my feet, grabbed a chair and moved it to where I sat all those years ago. I plopped into it and let the memories return… "Hey, Furukawa," I murmured.

" _Yes?"_

"Why do you want to be in plays?" I asked as I felt the pressure build behind my eyes.

" _Because I like them,"_ the memory replied, and I could almost see Nagisa standing there, just as she was so long ago.

"What about them do you like?"

" _I think it's fun to be able to act with everyone…"_

I crossed my arms, almost hugging myself as I tried to force the tears back into their ducts. "What kinda plays are we gonna do?"

" _What kind of plays…? No, not necessarily something that makes you laugh…but not so serious that you can't laugh…"_ I stood and head toward the illusion as she continued to speak. _"…I guess you could say they make you cry, but not necessarily…"_

"Funny or sad…" I griped without much conviction, "…which is it?"

" _S-Somewhere in the middle!"_

I smiled at the memory. "You wanted to be in a play about life, didn't you?" I mused as my gaze fell to the floor. "Or maybe you just wanted to be able to enjoy life without an illness?"

" _Do_ _you_ _enjoy your life right now, Tomoya-kun?"_

"Wh-What?" My gaze snapped back up at the sound of unfamiliar dialogue spoken in a familiar voice, but the image of Nagisa was gone, leaving me alone in the old Theater Club room. "Th…That was weird," I murmured as I trembled my way back to the blanket. I poured myself a cup of tea, hoping the caffeine would somehow calm my nerves.

The girls arrived a few minutes later. "Daddy, are you okay?" I heard Ushio ask with a concerned tone; I must have looked spooked.

"Just…remembering again," I replied. "Thinking back to when your mom was trying to restart the Theater Club."

"How nice!" Mika said as she settled down next to me. "Can…Would you be willing to tell us about it?"

My chuckle sounded more like a snort. "Sure." I leaned back on my hands. "I thought it would help me help her if I knew why she wanted to be in plays in the first place. It took a while, but I realized that she wanted to be part of something big, and be able to work alongside others to do something great."

"How wonderful," my daughter breathed.

"I also asked her what kind of play she wanted to do," I said, chuckling at the memory. "At first, I thought she couldn't decide whether she wanted to do happy or sad plays, but she eventually told me that she wanted a little of both."

"It sounds like she wanted to perform a play about life," Mika remarked.

My blood nearly froze. "Y-Yeah," I stammered. "I was thinking the same thing."

"Are you sure you're all right, Daddy?" Ushio ask-

"Would you please stop asking that?" I snapped, exasperated. "If I think there's a problem, then I'll tell you. Okay?"

"I'm…I'm sorry…"

"No, sweetie; I'm sorry," I said as I reached out to hug my little girl. "To be honest, I'm feeling a little spooked right now."

"How come?" Ushio sniffed as she squeezed back.

I sighed awkwardly. "How do I explain this…?" I released Ushio and scratched at my head as she reclaimed her seat. "While the two of you were gone, I was…I dunno, reliving the memory I was just telling you about."

"Okay…" Mika said, presumably prompting me.

"I'd finished the memory and realized out loud that she must have wanted to be able to enjoy life without being sick so much; that's why she wanted her play to be both happy and sad."

"That makes sense," Ushio said softly.

"Anyway…" I said, unsure how the next part would be taken, "…after I thought out loud, I thought I heard her ask me if I'm enjoying my life."

"That is kinda spooky," Mika said sympathetically.

"Maybe…" Ushio started, the licked her lips. "Maybe Mom loves you so much that she took this chance to talk to you."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

She took a moment to gather her thoughts. "Well, Mom loved you a lot, so she'd want the best for you, right?"

"Sure."

"And you've been sad for a really long time, right? I mean, I know you're happy to be with me, but you've still been sad all this time because you lost Mom…right?"

"Yeah…" I admitted with a sigh. "I think I'll always miss her, even if just a little."

Ushio spread her hands toward me. "So, maybe Mom saw a chance to talk to you; maybe Mom's really here."

"Oh my god…" I mused; we had talked about 'meeting Mom' here, but I never thought… "You could be right."

"How beautiful," Mika breathed. "A love so strong that even death can't keep you apart…" Her eyes widened as she grabbed onto my shoulders. "It's like that movie we watched!"

Movie? "I don't remember watching a movie with you," I told her. "We went to the park and had a picnic, but…"

"I think I know what she's talking about," Ushio said, her eyes growing wide. "She's talking about that movie that I picked for my graduation party! You know; the one that Kyou-sensei and Mika-senpai came to?"

I did remember, if vaguely. "Wasn't that the one where the guy left home to learn to fight or something?"

"That's it!" Mika exclaimed. "But when he got home his love had been killed and started traveling with him as a spirit."

"How sad," Ushio remarked, sobering at the memory.

I also remembered that I had said some pretty outrageous things about men and sex – even if they were true – but chose to keep that to myself. "Anyway, yeah; I guess it is kinda like that," I said, unsure how else to respond.

"So, are you enjoying your life right now?" My gaze snapped to Mika, who shrunk back, presumably at the suddenness of my movement. "I'm sorry!"

"No, you're fine," I told her. "You just kinda…I dunno, surprised me." I took a moment to think about the question. "Yeah, I actually think I have it pretty good right now; I have my shoulder back, I have part of my life back thanks to Pastor Jeff's help, and I have someone who seems to care deeply about me," I finished as I patted Mika on the arm. "I'm a very luck-…well, fortunate man."

"I'm very glad to hear that, Daddy," my daughter said softly as Mika blushed.

I studied the girls for a moment longer before starting to my feet. "Let's get packed up," I said. "I want to show you someplace special, to me and to Nagisa."

"O-Okay…" my daughter replied, understandably surprised by my sudden offer.

We packed up the blanket along with the leftovers from lunch and left the school. Unlike when we went to the school, however, I led the way as the girls talked quietly behind me; I thought it was an interesting contrast even though it didn't have any hidden meaning that I could think of.

I led them away from the school, down street after street to someplace very special to me…

"Daddy?" I heard Ushio call out from behind. "Are we going to Grandpa and Grandma Furukawa's?"

"Sort of," I replied over my shoulder. "We can visit them afterward if possible, but we're actually heading somewhere nearby. Just trust me, okay?"

"O-Okay," she replied.

"I…We trust you," Mika added.

I smiled to myself as we turned the last corner to the road that led to Mom's and Pop's place; instead of going to the bakery, though, I headed across the road to the small park; thankfully it didn't look much different than that time… "Here we are."

"What a lovely place," Mika remarked at the sight of the park in the dimming light. "When I came here the other day…" She trailed off, and I could see her pale as she looked away, and I figured she was thinking of her 'surprise visit' when Mom invited Ushio and I over for breakfast. "…I…should come back during the day and see it."

"How was this place special to you and Mom?" Ushio asked with a wide-eyed expression of curiosity.

I walked to a point near the center of the park and stopped to crouch and stare at a particular spot in the dirty field. As expected, there was no sign of what had happened so many years ago, but… "Right here," I said, pointing to the area in the playground.

"What about it?" Ushio asked from beside me. "Did something happen here?"

I smiled at the distant memory. "This is where your mom was standing, working on her lines when I came here to escape my dad."

"Your dad?" Mika said, sounding worried. "Had he hurt you?"

"Not exactly," I replied with a nostalgic chuckle, then looked up at the girls. "Remember when I said that he'd call me 'Tomoya-kun' and that I hated it?"

"I remember," Ushio said as Mika nodded.

"Well, I'd gotten home from school and was surprised to find him there; I thought he was still at work." I sighed. "Anyway, he did his old 'Hello, Tomoya-kun' crap as though…well, you know…so I hauled butt out of there, and after wandering the neighborhood for a while I found myself in front of the bakery." I stood up, clapping my hands against my pantlegs to clear the dust from them. "Like I said, she was standing here and working on her lines for her play."

"I think Grandma and Grandpa Furukawa told me about Mom's play," Ushio murmured, her eyes unfocused. Then, she looked up at me. "Do you remember what she was saying?"

"Something about taking me somewhere…" I sighed as I tried to remember. "You'd think I'd remember something like that – even after all this time – but…" I shrugged. "I guess it didn't mean as much to me then as it should have."

"That's too bad," Mika said sadly. "I hope you remember someday."

"Thanks," I said, then gestured to the bakery as I gave Ushio a smile; hopefully it wasn't too weak. "Well, should we say 'hi' to Grandpa and Grandma? I'm sure they'd love to see you."

"They just saw me yesterday, Daddy," she giggled as we crossed the street to the bakery. "But of course I'd like to see them again; granddaughters always love being with their grandparents, after all."

"True," I chuckled. "My bad."

She giggled again, then her expression turned puzzled as she looked behind me. "Mika-senpai…?"

"What's the matter?" I said as I turned; I'd unconsciously assumed that she was with us so I was surprised to see her still in the park, standing in the spot we'd just been talking about. "Go on ahead," I told Ushio. "I'll see what's going on."

"Okay, Daddy," she replied with a concerned look before entering the bakery.

As she left I turned and crossed the street into the park again. "Mika? You can come with us; I'm sure Mom would be happy to see you again." As I got closer I noticed that she had her hands clasped before her chest and her eyes were closed. "Mika? You okay?"

It was really weird; as she opened to eyes to look at me, I could suddenly see small points of light start to rise from the ground beneath her. She didn't react to them, causing me to wonder if she just couldn't see them…or if I was imagining things.

"If you'd like…"

My breath caught in my throat at the beginning of a phrase that brought back thoughts and feelings.

"…I can take you…"

Time seemed to stop as I watched her recite an old memory while standing in the circle of surreal light.

"…to the place where wishes are granted," she finished, shaking and misty-eyed as the light faded.

I felt somewhat numb as I slowly walked the short distance to stand before the trembling girl. "How…?"

"I-I'm sorry," she said as she pressed her clasped hands against her chest. "I…I found some of your wife's stuff at your place and looked through it. When I found her script..."

"Her script?" I repeated, dumbfounded. "How…? Where…?"

"I'm sorry!" she cried, covering her face with her hands. "I wanted to take care of you so badly that…I went through your stuff and found her script! And when you said you couldn't remember something so important…"

I wasn't sure how to respond; I felt angry, but at the same time I felt grateful. Sure, she shouldn't have gone through my stuff, but she did it because… I reached out and gently drew her hands from her face, relieved when she didn't fight it. I looked down into beautiful, teary eyes, eyes belonging to a girl that wanted the best for me, who wanted to be with me and take care of me, eyes that showed terror at the mere idea of me rejecting her…

I couldn't fight it any longer; I rested my hands on her cheeks, wiping away her tears with my thumbs, and I lowered my head until our lips touched.

* * *

I stared numbly at the mug of tea on top of the kotatsu, barely aware of the conversation going on between Mom and Ushio on the other side of the table, just over a meter away. I heard but didn't hear their words as my focus was firmly on what had just happened in the park.

I had finally accepted Mika, 'eighteen' and all.

Our first kiss had been a beautifully awkward one; the moment our lips had touched she started to cry. It wasn't long before she couldn't hold the kiss anymore, and she broke it and pressed herself tightly against me, as though she was trying to make us one person, with her hands and the side of her face against my chest.

As I let the memory of the kiss sink in, Mika's words came back to me: _"If you'd like… I can take you…to the place where wishes are granted."_

They weren't really hers but Nagisa's, but more importantly: How could I have forgotten something from such a pivotal moment in my life? The only answer I could come up with was that it wasn't 'pivotal' to me at the time; only when I was able to look back at the progression of my relationship with Nagisa could I realize that night at the park was what started our relationship that eventually led to marriage, Ushio's birth, and…

"Tomoya?"

Mom's voice somehow snapped me out of my state. "Yeah, Mom?"

She angled her head to give me a kind, knowing smile. "It would appear that congratulations are in order?"

"Y-Yeah… Wait! What are you congratulating me for?"

She looked to my right, and I followed her gaze to find Mika staring at her mug of tea sitting on top of the kotatsu, and I wondered if her expression was the same as mine had been. "It would seem that something happened between you two; something wonderful," I heard her say.

I smiled slightly at Mika's slightly bewildered expression. "Yeah. Yeah, something did. It took way too long, but…yeah."

"Well good for you, brat," I heard Dad say as I continued to study the teenager, and from the way he spoke I could tell he had a cigarette between his teeth. "About time you woke up."

I chuckled and looked over to see him with a lopsided smile, cigarette in place. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

"Of course I am," he replied, his smile turning cocky.

"Tomoya?"

I looked back to Mika, who had apparently snapped out of her trance. "Yeah?"

Her chest started heaving as her eyes starting to fill with tears. "Did we really…? Did you…?"

I smiled at her hopeful expression. "Yeah, we did. And yeah, I did. I'm still having a hard time believing it myself."

She managed a trembling smile as she reached out a hand, which I took. "I…don't know what to do."

"You look and sound like you're overwhelmed by your own happiness," Mom said softly.

"I…I am…" Mika said, breaking into tears before stopping herself with a squeeze of my hand. "I-I've wanted this for what seems like so long, but…"

"Now that you have it – or him, really – you don't know what to do?" Pops suggested.

"Y-Yeah…" she replied as she gazed at me with anxious eyes.

I reached out with my free hand and laid it on the cheek of my…girlfriend? Lover? "This is a little much for me, too," I admitted. "All we can do at this point is take it a day at a time. But for now, though, I'm going to sleep on it."

"That's a good idea," she agreed as she rested her hand on mine. The giggle she then gave sounded like a cough. "I am such a mess right now!"

"Then come with me," Mom said as she got to her feet to offer Mika her hand. "Now that you're back with us, let's see about cleaning you up."

She gave me a concerned look, and I thought I knew why; the mother of my late wife was offering to pamper my possible future wife. "Go on," I told her. "Let her pamper you; I'm not going anywhere."

She said nothing, but swallowed as she released my hand and allowed herself to be helped to her feet and led out of the room, with Ushio tagging along.

With Pops as the only one left in the room other than myself, I watched as he lit up what was likely his umpteenth cigarette for the day. "Are you sure you and Mom are okay with this?" I asked him.

He sighed a puff of smoke toward the open door. "Tomoya, no one can really be sure of anything; that being said…" he leveled his gaze at me. "…I can't think of anyone who deserves happiness more than you."

"Yeah, but-"

"Look, brat; I don't know anyone who has been crapped on by life more than you, and…" He looked away, suddenly unable to meet my gaze for some reason. "Sanae and I…well, we feel terrible for providing such a weak wife."

I was floored; I couldn't recall either Mom or Pops telling me something like this before. "I…I don't know what to say… It's not your fault."

"I know," he replied, puffing another cloud out the door. "But we parents can't help but feel responsible when we let our kids down, right?"

I smiled sympathetically; I'd let Ushio down many times in her short life, especially her first five years. "Yeah… It sucks."

"Yeah, it does," he said, taking another draw. "So anyway… We want to help the two of you succeed. As much as we can, at least."

"Thanks, Pops."

He grunted before turning his attention to the serious task of smoking. Sensing that the conversation was over I simply watched, finding the occasional cloud that lazily floated out the door somewhat calming.

The women returned a few minutes later, and I was relieved to see that Mika looked like she felt better.

"I'm sorry about the scene," she said as she reclaimed her seat as well as my hand. "Everything happened so quickly, that-"

"S'okay," Pops interrupted as he put out his latest conquest. "First love, right?"

"Y-Yes, sir."

He wrinkled his nose. "Don't call me that; you sound like you're talking to my old man, and he's been dead for years."

"Wh-What should I call you, then?"

"Akio, you're scaring the poor girl," Mom scolded, then turned to address the teenager with a bright smile. "You may call me 'Sanae' but I would love it if you would call me 'Mom'."

My eyebrows jumped but I otherwise kept my surprise to myself.

"I guess you can call me 'Dad' if you want," Pops said while rubbing the back of his neck. "I hadn't thought about it, but since Sanae's asking you to call her 'Mom'…" He then appeared to distract himself with his cigarette pack.

"Then it's settled, Mika-san!" Mom said, clapping. "Just so you understand, though; I would never dream of trying to replace your real parents, but it would be lovely if you could think of us as family!"

I smiled as I remember Dad's words from earlier: _"But we parents can't help but feel responsible when we let our kids down, right?"_ Maybe they wanted to be make up for Nagisa in some way by being 'parents' to Mika? They were technically old enough to be her grandparents, but still…

* * *

I breathed a sigh of relief as the three of us left the bakery. I still felt a little awkward holding hands with Mika, and seeing Ushio walking on her other side so they could talk reminded me of my dreams. But…I had good reason to believe that everything would be okay.

"What an exciting day," Ushio remarked, and I realized that I hadn't heard her talk much while we were visiting Mom and Dad. "It's kinda weird having a schoolmate with my dad, but I'm really happy for you both."

"Thank you," Mika said, ducking her head at the same time I felt her give my hand a squeeze.

I smiled but said nothing as we headed to the station where we would see Mika off; I felt a little pain in my chest at the idea that she would be leaving, mainly because I hadn't felt anything like separation in a long time.

We arrived at the station to find most of the benches full of people, presumably those who had finished their work for the day and were heading home. We managed to find a bench with enough space for the girls to sit, while I stood nearby Mika's hand still in mine. "You going to be okay getting home?" I asked my gir-…my lov-… I asked Mika. "You've had kind of exciting day."

"I'll be okay," she replied, then giggled. "I don't know what I'm going to tell Mom and Dad, though. My mom and dad, I mean."

"At this point I don't think they'll be surprised," I told her. "Other than the timing, at least."

She giggled again, her cheeks darkening in the dim light as she gave my hand another squeeze.

It wasn't long before the train arrived.

"Ushio-san? Could I have a minute alone with…with your dad?" Mika requested, but with her gaze firmly on me.

Ushio gave an understanding smile as she pointed to a nearby ceiling support. "I'll be right over there."

As my daughter moved away, Mika's expression…changed. It was hard to describe exactly how, but it seemed like she was more…serious. "Tomoya?"

"Yes?"

She stepped closer, releasing my hand to clasp hers behind my neck, gently but firmly drawing my head down for another kiss, this one without tears. It seemed like we held the kiss for an eternity of just a few moments before we broke the kiss and just held each other. "Thank you so much," I heard her whisper.

"Thank you," I managed to reply through a tightened throat. "Have a safe trip home."

She reluctantly pushed away to smile up at me. "I will." After a peck on the cheek she looked past me. "Thank you, Ushio-san."

My daughter joined us a moment later. "H-Have a safe trip home, senpai," she said with a bow.

Mika briefly studied my daughter with a smile before grabbing her up in a hug. I wasn't sure, but I thought she said 'Thank you for accepting me' before releasing her and hurrying onto the train.

I knew I'd be seeing her the next day, but it was still hard to watch the train pull away with someone so dear to me, someone who had become so dear to me. I lifted my hand in a wave, keeping it up until the train was completely out of sight.

"You okay, Daddy?" I heard my daughter ask softly.

I took a deep breath as I looked over to her, and I could actually feel the air cleansing me. "I'm better now, thanks. You ready to head home?"

She nodded wearily as we started home. "I think I'll sleep well tonight."

I grunted my agreement as I ran my hands through my hair. "Yeah, but I'm probably going to take…a…" I trailed off as I noticed something…odd. "What is that?"

One of the stars was somehow falling from the sky like a flake of snow, drifting… It reminded me of the lights that I saw at the park when Mika was reciting Nagisa's line to me.

"How pretty…" Ushio breathed.

We both watched, transfixed as the tiny point of light descended…toward me? I held out my hand to catch it, only for it to disappear into my hand, and a warmth spread throughout my entire body.


	37. The Dust Clears

**Chapter Thirty-Seven: The Dust Clears**

I made sure to grab my coat before heading out for the day; while the weather was still warm and summery, the hospital tended to be chilly. Since I knew I'd be spending part of my chilly time with my shirt off so the doctors could examine my shoulder, I wanted the extra coverage to help warm up right afterward. "I'm off," I called after swapping out my shoes.

"Okay, Daddy; see you later," Ushio said as she bounced into view. "Oh! When will you be home? Do you think you'll be home in time for lunch?"

"I hope so, but I'm not sure," I told her. "Depends on what the doctors say."

"Just like all the other times," she giggled.

"Yup," I chuckled. "Well, I'm off; see you later."

"See you later."

I threw my coat over my shoulder as I headed to the train station and allowed my mind to wander. Of course, it wandered to my girlf-…my lov-…to Mika. "What is she to me?" I wondered out loud. My problem with figuring out what she was wasn't due to her age; it was just that I didn't feel any of the anxiety that I did back when I was getting to know Nagisa. "I feel…comfortable with her." Maybe it was because she'd been over nearly every day for the past-

"Companion?"

I nearly jumped in surprise at the voice that suddenly intruded from beside me. "Wh-What the-! You surprised me!" I gasped as I looked over at the voice's owner. He looked to be about my age, black hair, average build… Just a typical Japanese man approaching mid-life.

"I'm sorry for startling you," he said contritely, "but I heard you thinking out loud and wanted to see if I could help."

"No problem," I said as I worked on restarting my nerves; I must have really been deep in thought.

"You have a lady in your life that you are close to, but you're not sure how to think of her. Am I correct?" the man asked as he easily fell into step with me.

"Yeah, something like that," I grunted.

"But you're too old for this 'boyfriend, girlfriend' nonsense, is that it?"

"I think so," I replied. "I dunno, it seems so…immature."

"Immature due to your ages or due to the nature of the relationship?"

I thought about his question for a moment. "I'm not sure. I hadn't thought of the 'nature of the relationship' bit, but now that you mention it…I think that could be it."

"She's done a lot for you, hasn't she?"

"Yeah," I said, smiling as I allowed myself to remember while still paying attention to where I was walking. "After my shoulder injury she made all of my dinners for me, helped out around the apartment…"

"Tried to be a good example to your daughter, too," he noted. "Where I come from we'd call that kind of woman a 'wife', but you haven't made that commitment yet, have you?"

"Not yet," I admitted with a chuckle as we rounded a corner.

"But it sounds like you'd like to," he said. "What's stopping you?"

"I dunno," I replied. "I guess it's that we haven't known each other for very long."

"But you've known each other for months," he pointed out. "She came to your home and stayed for hours, nearly every day, didn't she?"

"That's true," I admitted, then sighed. "I guess we know each other better than I thought."

"You two know each other better than most married couples I've seen."

I glanced over at him with a friendly smile. "You've seen a lot of them, huh? Are you a counselor like…? Hey, do you know Jeff Ashton? He's the pastor of that Christian church, 'Glory to God' or something like that."

"I know him," the other man replied. "And I wouldn't say I'm a counselor, but I can say that…" He paused in his speech, apparently to gather his thoughts. "…he and I work for the same guy."

"I…don't get it…"

"Don't worry about it," he said, waving his hands. "We're talking about you and Mika."

"Right. Sorry."

"Don't worry about it," he repeated in an easy tone. "So, if she's not your wife yet but you feel very close to her, then maybe you could think of her as a 'companion' for now."

I mulled over his suggestion as we entered the train station. "Yeah. Yeah, I think you're right," I said, relief washing over me. "Thanks."

"No problem," he replied as he followed me into the waiting area. "Well, do your best, Tomoya-san."

"Thanks," I said, feeling an unusually warm feeling at his encouraging words.

I exchanged a wave with my unexpected friend as I boarded the train. It wasn't until I had taken my seat that it hit me: "Wait a minute!" I nearly shouted as I spun to look out the window. "How did he know about…?"

The man was nowhere in sight. Most of the crowd had boarded with me, leaving a few people on the platform, so finding him shouldn't have been too difficult, and yet… I fell back into my seat, puzzled. When had I told him Mika's name? Or mine, for that matter? And how did he know about Ushio? I suddenly felt very vulnerable.

I was still worrying over it as the train arrived at the next station, and in spite of my anxiety I smiled at the sight of Mika lightly bouncing on the balls of her feet as she waited for the train to stop. My smile faltered slightly at the sight of two teenaged-looking boys admiring her from behind, if their grins and gestures toward her were any indication.

Fortunately, she didn't seem to notice as she hurried to board the train, and I stood and took hold of one of the support rails, partly to make it easier for her to find me, but mainly to open up the seat for her. "Over here, Mika."

The expression of happiness on her face when she saw me was indescribable. "Good morning, Tomoya!" she greeted as she nearly threw herself at me, latching onto the front of my shirt. "I've missed you so much!"

"Thanks, but we saw each other yesterday evening, didn't we?" I replied with a chuckle, figuring that I knew how she'd respond.

"But it's been too long," she pouted cutely, confirming my theory as she snuggled into my shirt, apparently unaware of the attention she was drawing. "Besides, I've been looking forward to this since…well, since you said I could come with you."

"Here, why don't you sit?" I said, indicating the vacated seat; I wanted to reply to her statement, of course, but the train was starting to move. "I saved a seat for you."

"No, thank you," she replied. "I'm right where I want to be."

I opened my mouth to protest…until she turned her honest blue eyes on me, and I gave in with a chuckle. "All right, but you're going to have to hold onto something other than just me."

"Okay," she replied, and took hold of the rail with one hand as she pressed herself against me with the side of her face resting against my chest.

I smiled down at her display of affection; it was kinda neat, seeing a side of her that I'd never seen before. With the way she'd laid into me at our first meeting at the school, I never would have thought of her as the snuggly type. "Are you comfortable, then?"

"Very," she murmured, and I couldn't help but smile as she nuzzled my chest some more.

"Okay," I chuckled again as I wrapped my free arm around her and took hold of the rail to keep her stable as the train rocked slightly; well, partly for stability. "You enjoy that, then."

We were quiet for the rest of the trip, and it wasn't long before the train pulled into the station where we'd need to get off. "We're here," I announced quietly as I gently shook her, wondering if she'd somehow fallen asleep on her feet.

She pulled away to smile up at me. "Let's go."

She took my hand as we got off the train, and I felt a little awkward at the sensation; after all, I hadn't held anyone's hand in a long time…since Ushio was little, if I remembered correctly. The last time I'd held Nagisa's hand was… I quietly cleared my throat.

I felt the familiar coolness as we passed through the doors into the hospital proper, and I noticed that Mika kept hold of my hand all the up to the reception counter. "Good morning; I have an appointment with Dr. Fujibayashi in the Lab section."

"Good morning, Okazaki-san," the receptionist greeted as she started tapping on her computer's keyboard. "Yes, I have you right…here…" she said thoughtfully, briefly studying her screen before looking up at me with a smile. "Go on ahead; I'll let him know you're on your way."

"Thank you," I said, returning her smile as I led Mika toward the first of many hallways that would take us to the lab. I noticed, however, that she was moving more slowly than her usual, and I looked back to see her with a distracted look. "Mika? Are you okay?"

"Huh?" She shook her head to clear it. "I…I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" I pressed as I slowed to match her pace.

She blushed as she looked at me with an expression of uncertainty. "You seemed really friendly with that girl… Do you know her very well?"

Ah, so that was the problem. "I know her a little bit; she's worked the front desk for as long as I've been coming here for my treatments."

"I see…"

"But I don't really know anything about her personally, if that's what you're asking," I finished while trying to suppress a smile.

"It's just that…"

"Are you jealous?" I asked in the most sympathetic tone I could muster.

"Well, yeah," she pouted. "I did all that cooking for you and made myself confess to you, and then I find out that you're all friendly with…" She trailed off, apparently too upset to finish her thought. "Do you think she's pretty?"

"No," I replied easily as I brought us to a stop, "and here's why: I've never thought of her that way."

"I don't understand," she said, shaking her head.

"I mean that she's just someone I've had to talk to in order to get to my appointments," I told her. "It's not like I'm going to go around and evaluate every woman I see for…" I waved my free hand as I tried to think of the right words, "…attractiveness or compatibility or anything like that; that'd be exhausting if nothing else."

"Okay," she giggled, finally allowing a smile to appear as she gave my hand a squeeze. "I'm sorry for doubting you."

"I forgive you," I said as I drew her into an embrace. "I figure we'll both have stuff to learn as we grow as a couple."

"A couple…" she murmured, and I saw tears starting to form in her eyes. "That's right; we're a couple."

"Yup, we're a couple. And because of that, it's going to be hard for anyone to come between us." I cupped a hand under her chin to tilt her face up, allowing me to see her large, beautiful eyes. "Including hospital receptionists."

She giggled again as she playfully whapped my chest. "You're so silly."

"Thank you, but I'm also going to be 'so late' if I don't get going," I said, smiling as I indicated a nearby wall clock. "Do you need to stop by a washroom to clean up? There's one near the lab, but I really have to be there on time."

"No, I'll be fine," she replied, rubbing the back of her hand across her face as she pressed into me. "Let's go."

I took her hand again, making sure to link my fingers with hers as we continued down the hall to the lab. The 'waiting room' for the lab consisted of a couple of chairs just outside the entrance, and I remained standing while Mika took a seat.

"Aren't you going to sit?" she asked invitingly as she patted the seat next to her.

"I might be sitting for a long time once I'm in there," I told her. "I don't want to sit out here and then sit in there for upwards of an hour; I'd go crazy."

"Okay," she giggled. "I understand; I'd go crazy, too, if I had to sit for a long time. In fact, at school…" She never finished her thought as her smile faded, replaced by a look of thoughtfulness.

I had a pretty good idea of what had caused the sudden change in demeanor. "Are you worried about what your classmates will think of you dating someone so much older than you?"

"Yes and no," she admitted. "I know my friends will be happy for me, but if anyone who doesn't know you found out…"

"Are you having second thoughts?" I asked while shoving down a mild panic.

"No, no, not at all!" she exclaimed as she got to her feet to press herself into me yet again. "Being with you like this is a dream come true! I guess it's just that…"

I kept quiet, unsure of what to say.

"I guess I just don't want to deal with anybody teasing me about it," she finally concluded. "I want to focus on maturing as quickly as I can so I can be more of an equal in our relationship."

"That's…impressive, Mika," I said, feeling oddly proud of her insight. "If it's any consolation, simply recognizing a shortcoming and wanting to overcome it is a sign of maturity in and of itself."

"Thank you," she said with a blush. "It's just… I don't want you to feel like you're marrying a child or something. I know I'm legally an adult, but just because the law says I'm one doesn't mean that I'm mature like one… Right?"

"True," I acknowledged, remembering an earlier conversation with Pastor Jeff. "But as long as you want to take responsibility for your decisions and actions, and want to take care of others more than you want to be taken care of, I think you'll be well on your way. Did that make any sense?"

"Sort of," she giggled while stepping back to wipe at her eyes again. "I'm still fighting the urge to blame others when things don't go well, but I don't want to marry you just so you can take care of me; I want to marry you so I can take care of you."

"I appreciate that," I said as I tried to fight a pressure behind my eyes at her words. "And…I want to take care of you, too."

Just then, the door to the lab opened, and the familiar friendly face of Dr. Fujibayashi appeared. "Ah, Tomoya-san! Good morning!"

"Good morning, doc."

"And who is this lovely young lady?" he asked, indicating a fiercely-blushing Mika; then he snapped his fingers. "Ah, yes! You're Nurse Hiiragi's daughter, aren't you?"

"Y-Yes, sensei," she replied meekly. "Hiiragi M-Mika. I-I've been responsible for To- I mean, Okazaki-sama's diet."

"So I've heard," he said, glancing briefly at me. "Well, I must say that you've impressed us with your efforts; his shoulder has been regenerating superbly, and we believe that it's due in large part to your efforts."

"I'm…just glad I could help," she squeaked.

"Maybe you'd better sit down," I suggested as I led her back to her seat. After settling her in, I knelt down to look into her reddened face. "Are you going to be okay?"

She said nothing, but nodded quickly.

I smiled and laid a hand on her shoulder. "We'll talk later; I promise."

Another quick nod along with a shy smile.

I gently caressed her cheek as I got back to my feet and followed the doctor through the door.

"How has your shoulder been feeling lately?" he asked as we headed into the lab proper.

I chuckled softly. "Honestly, I'm at the point where I've forgotten that it was ever injured."

"So, no pain or discomfort?"

"No, none at all," I replied as we entered the examination room, where Drs. Mori and Miyamoto waited. "I've been doing the exercises as much as I can, and I've been just using my right arm as much as I can in general."

"Excellent," he said as he gestured to the exam table. "Well, hop on up and we'll see how things have been going on the inside."

I got up on the table and took my shirt off, feeling the usual discomfort at having three guys looking at my half-naked body. Granted, they were doctors, but still… "Brrr…." I complained. "Hey, doc; could we turn the heat up a bit?"

"I thought I'd forgotten something," Dr. Mori said before moving to a nearby wall to fiddle with the thermostat. "My apologies, Okazaki-san; I'm not sure how much good it'll do now, but I've adjusted it."

"Thanks," I shivered.

They performed the usual barrage of tests: poking, prodding, and using their scanning gizmos while they had me hold my arm at varying angles.

After all was said and done, Dr. Fujibayashi smiled broadly as he clapped his hands. "Well, Tomoya-san! I think we're all done! Congratulations!"

I blinked. "We're done? You mean I don't have to come back for any more exams?"

"That's right," Dr. Miyamoto replied as he and Dr. Mori stepped into my line of sight. "By your charts, your regeneration has progressed much more quickly than we had anticipated."

So it was all over? I was free? The thought made me happy, but… "This might sound weird, but… I'm gonna miss you guys."

Dr. Mori chuckled as he crossed his arms. "How about you put your shirt back on before you say things like that, okay?"

I looked down at my shirtless torso and chuckled. "Yeah, that's probably a good idea."

"I would like you to include a visit to the lab with your annual physicals from now on," Dr. Fujibayashi said as I dressed. "It wouldn't be as long as your exams have been; we'd just like to see how you're progressing, see if there are any unexpected side effects-"

"Side-effects?" I said, pausing in my buttoning. "What do you mean, 'side effects'?"

"Well, this was an experimental treatment," Dr. Miyamoto reminded me. "We can't be certain about any long-term effects."

"Oh, that's right," I said as I slipped my coat on; in all the excitement, I'd forgotten about my 'guinea pig' status. "Yeah, I'll make sure to set up an appointment, then."

"Thank you," Dr. Fujibayashi said as I slid from the table, fully covered. "It's been a pleasure working with you, Tomoya-san. Thank you for helping us out with our research; your generosity could help many others in the future."

"I'm…glad I could help," I said, humbled by his expression of gratitude. "And I'm glad I could get my shoulder back in the process."

"As are we," Dr. Mori chimed in.

"Before you leave, I'd like a chance to chat briefly with Nurse Hiiragi's daughter," Dr. Fujibayashi said as the four of us headed toward the exit. "She came with you, yes?"

"Yes, sir."

"Is she planning on going back with you?"

"As far as I know, yeah," I replied.

"Would you mind waiting for just a minute or two?" he asked. "I promise I won't be long."

"That's fine," I shrugged. "I don't have anything planned after this, anyway."

We exited the lab, where I waited a respectful distance away as the doctor talked with Mika. I couldn't figure out what they were talking about, but she appeared to be uncomfortable talking about it…well, part of it at least, which had me concerned.

Eventually they finished, and she bowed to him before heading toward me. "Are you okay?" I asked her, waving to the trio of doctors as we headed away from the lab. "You seemed upset while talking with him."

"I'll be okay," she said. "I think Mom told him about us."

I glanced over my shoulder back toward the lab. "You think so? If your mom's working today, we could ask her. You did tell your parents, right?"

"Y-Yes, I did."

I blinked with an awkward grin as we walked back toward the entrance, our fingers linked again. "I just realized; your mom didn't have to tell anyone for Doc Fujibayashi to figure it out. With the way we were acting when we arrived, I think anyone could have figured it out."

"Y-You're probably right," she giggled as she briefly hugged my arm. "Oh! Speaking of Mom and Dad; I don't know if I've brought this up already, but they asked me to invite you and Ushio-san to dinner tonight."

"Tonight?" I repeated. "That should be fine, but I'll need to check with Ushio to see if she has anything planned. I don't think she's doing anything, but… Anyway, I'll check with her."

"Thank you!" she beamed.

"Hey, you two!" a voice called out, and we turned as one to see Pastor Jeff heading toward us. "What brings you out to…? Oh, that's right!" he exclaimed with a snap of his fingers. "You have your appointment today, don't you?"

"That's right," I replied as he joined us. "My last one; in fact, I just came from it."

"Last one?" he said as a smile spread across his face. "Does that mean you're done, then? No more exams?"

"No more exams," I confirmed, feeling some of his excitement. "I'm a free man."

"Congratulations!" he gushed, clapping me on my shoulder; my right shoulder. "That has to feel good."

"It does," I agreed. "Doc Fujibayashi would like me to visit the lab as part of my annual physical, but otherwise…" I spread my free arm as though to present myself.

"Well, good for you," he replied, then stepped back to look at both of us. "And how are you two doing?"

Mika and I shared an awkward smile. "We're…fine, I think," I replied, looking to her for confirmation; at her nod I continued. "It's taken some getting used to; I'm not sure how to act around her anymore."

"Same here," she added, hiding a blush behind her hand. "It's like, 'Now that I'm with him, what do I do?'"

"Unfortunately, I can't help you much with that," he said with a smile and a wink. "You'll have to figure that out as you go. I'm available as a sounding board if you need one, but…" He paused to check his watch. "I'm sorry, but I have to go; I have a patient waiting for me."

"Go ahead, Pastor," I said with a wave of my hand. "Talk to you later."

"See you later, Uncle Jeff," Mika added in farewell.

As we left the hospital and headed to the train station I couldn't help but notice that she seemed to be lost in thought. "Everything okay?" I asked. "You seem preoccupied or something."

"I'm fine," she replied almost reflexively. "I mean, nothing's wrong."

"We'll have some time on the train, if you want to talk about it," I suggested.

She sighed heavily. "I was hoping that we could talk to Uncle Jeff about this, but…" She flashed a smile up at me. "I guess I could at least bring it up on the way, so…okay."

I gave her a smile and a squeeze to her hand as we arrived at the station. I could feel her fidgeting as we waited on the platform for the train to arrive, and I had to resist the urge to ask her about it then. It finally arrived, however, and we quickly boarded and found a pole to hold onto while she snuggled into me again.

"So, what's going on?" I asked as the train started to move. "You seem really…agitated by whatever it is."

"I-It's 'cause I feel silly bringing it up now," she murmured into my chest.

"Timing, huh?" I said sympathetically. "Well, I can understand that, but we only have about ten to fifteen minutes, so-"

"I know," she huffed, and I had to suppress a chuckle at how cute she sounded. Well, I didn't have to, but… "Tomoya…I want to get married."

"Wh-What?!" I tried to contain my astonishment as I angled my head for a better look at her face. "A-Already? But…we only just got together. Don't you need more time to evaluate me or something?"

"I've had several months already," she countered, pulling away just far enough to look me in the eye. "I've seen you at your best, and – I'm willing to bet – at your worst."

I thought about it and realized that she had a point. "Well, you're probably right about that, but…" I trailed off with a sigh, unsure of how to finish my thought, or even what my thought was to begin with.

"But what?" she asked, her expression one of genuine concern. "You've had several months too, haven't you?"

"That's true, but…" Why was I balking? Then it hit me: "Mika, the first time I saw you, you were about eight, right?"

"Right…"

"Which means I would have been around twenty-six," I added while giving her a meaningful look. I felt safe to continue when her mouth formed an 'ah'. "Yeah. So, while I can see that you're an adult now, I still have those memories from when you…weren't. First impressions, so to speak."

"I see." She briefly nibbled on her lower lip as she looked to the floor of the train car. "And I guess I have been thinking of you…that way…for a really long time."

"There's that, too," I said, then sighed. "Look, let's talk with Pastor Jeff like you wanted. He's been good at giving me different ways to see things; maybe he can help with this."

"Okay. I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it," I said reassuringly as I gave her a squeeze. "Shoot, if you're still interested in an old fart like me after all this, I guess I could accept that there might me something special about me...or something."

"You're not an old fart," she giggled as she smiled up at me, "but I think I understand. Maybe we could talk to him after church tomorrow?"

That wasn't a bad idea; after all, I hadn't been to a church gathering since my first visit. "We could do that," I told her. "Go for the 'get together' – or whatever it's called – and then see if he could spare some time for us."

"Then it's okay?" she said, perking up noticeably.

I couldn't help but feel some of her enthusiasm. "Sure; let's do that."

* * *

"I'm home," I sighed as I exchanged my shoes in the entryway.

"Welcome home, Daddy!" Ushio greeted as she bounced into view. "How did your appointment go?"

"I'm done," I said with a smile as I straightened. "Doc Fujibayashi would just like me to visit the lab whenever I have my annual physical, but otherwise I'm a free man."

"Hey, that's great!" she exclaimed while clapping. "Are you excited?"

"Not yet," I told her. "I guess it still hasn't hit me yet."

"Well, I'm really happy for you," she said with a warm smile.

"Thanks. Listen, Mika told me that her parents have invited us over for dinner, but I told her that I'd need to check with you to see if you have anything going on."

"I don't have anything planned," she replied with a shake of her head. "I'd love to go. It's odd that Mika's dad didn't just call or text you, though." She giggled. "For a while, it seemed like you two were talking every day."

"That's because we were talking every day," I quipped. "Seriously; remember that I'd call him or Mika's mom to let them know she was on her way home after making dinner."

"Oh, that's right," she said, smacking a fist into her hand.

"Anyway, I'll give the Hiiragis a call to let them know that we'll be coming," I told her as I headed down the hallway with my phone. After I got into my room and closed the door behind me, I had my phone dial Kappei's number.

" _Damn, Okazaki; it's been a long time!"_ he greeted, and I grinned as I held the phone away from my ear.

"Yeah, I know; it's good to talk to you again," I replied.

" _Thanks. So, are you calling about tonight?"_

"Yeah," I replied. "And yeah, we'll be there. What time?"

" _Is five okay? I know that doesn't give you a lot of time, but…"_

A glance at the clock told me that Ushio and I would have plenty of time to get ready and travel to the Hiiragi's house. "Yeah, that's fine." I paused to gather my thoughts. "Listen, is this about…? You know…?"

" _Sort of,"_ he replied, his voice noticeably sobering. _"Don't worry; I'm not planning on giving you the third degree or anything like that. That's for the…less-mature crowd. Ryou and I just think that…"_

I figured I knew what the dinner was about but decided to keep my thoughts to myself.

"… _you know, just…where we're gonna go from here, what you think of the whole situation…and…"_

"We haven't eaten together in a while?" I suggested with a grin, trying to ease our awkwardness.

" _Yeah, that's it!"_ he laughed. _"I know that Mika's… Well, we'll talk when you get here, all right?"_

"Sounds good," I replied, looking forward to seeing my energetic friend again. "See you around five, then?"

" _Yeah. Laters!"_

I ended the call, my smile fading as I realized that I wasn't even sure how things were 'gonna go from here'.

* * *

"You look fine, Daddy," Ushio said with a giggle as I messed with my shirt while we waited outside the front door to Ryou's and Kappei's home.

"I know I shouldn't be nervous," I said as I fidgeted, embarrassed that I felt like a high-school boy meeting his girlfriend's parents for the first time. "It's not like I don't know her parents; I was in the same grade as her mother, for crying out loud."

"Maybe it's because you were in the same grade as her mother," she giggled again. "Poor Daddy…"

"You're probably right," I decided as I gave the bottom of my polo another tug. "I guess I'm not sure how I'm supposed to relate to them now."

"Just do it like you always have," she suggested with a shrug. "From what I've seen and what you've told me, you and Mika-senpai's dad have always gotten along really well; I don't see why it should change just because you agreed to be with Mika-senpai."

"You're probably right," I repeated, then gave my shirt one last tug as the door opened.

"Good evening, Tomoya-san," Ryou greeted from the other side of the doorway. "It's been a while."

"Y-Yeah…" I managed. "Yeah, it has. It's good to see you again."

"And you as well," she replied s she stepped aside to let us in. "Thank you for accepting our invitation."

"You're welcome. Where's Kappei?" I asked as I slipped into the guest shoes.

"Right here!" he replied as he stepped into the entryway. "Damn, Okazaki; it's been a long time!"

I chuckled as it occurred to me that he'd started our earlier conversation the same way. "Yeah, it has."

He clapped me on the shoulder before turning his infectious smile on my daughter. "Ushio-san, may I borrow your dad for a while? We need to have a man-to-man talk."

"O-Of course," she giggled, then looked to our hostess. "May I help in the kitchen?"

"That would be wonderful," Ryou agreed. "Mika's helping me already, but another pair of hands would be very helpful, and we could have some 'girl time'."

I perked up at the mention of my companion's name, much to my embarrassment.

"Okay!" Ushio chirped, then waved to me as she followed Ryou out of the entryway. "Good luck, Daddy!"

I sighed as I returned her wave, then looked to Kappei's grinning face. "I guess I'm ready, then."

He chuckled as he clapped me on the shoulder again. "You look pretty wound up, man," he said as he turned to head down the hallway toward his study. "Relax! You're with friends, right?"

"Right," I said, chuckling as well. "Honestly, this whole thing with Mi-…with your daughter has me not knowing what to do."

"If it helps any, Ryou and I feel the same way," he replied over his shoulder as he angled toward the door leading to his study. "We figured she'd start dating someday, of course, but we never thought it would be someone our age."

"Kappei, I know I've said this before, but I never did anything to encourage her," I told him as we entered the study and headed for our usual seats.

"Yeah, you've said that before, and I believe you," he said as he settled into his armchair. "But I do think that you encouraged her."

I paused on my way down into my seat before settling the rest of the way. "Wh…What do you mean?"

Apparently he found my reaction humorous, because he laughed heartily. "You're a good man, Okazaki! You have a strong sense of right and wrong, you have integrity, and you've been nothing but great to my family in all the time I've known you!" He leaned forward to wiggle his eyebrows at me. "And don't forget; I know how my wife felt about you back in high school."

"Y-Yeah…" I wanted to sink into my seat and through the floor. "Sorry."

"For what?" he laughed, sitting up again. "For being a neat guy? Yeah, you're guilty as hell!"

I couldn't help but chuckle at his words. "Thanks… I think." I lightly scratched my cheek as my gaze drifted toward the unlit fireplace. "Anyway, how's work treating you?"

"Same as always," he replied with a grin. "Busy, busy, busy."

"I'd think things would settle down during the summer," I remarked.

"Are you kidding?" he laughed. "This is Japan! We're always moving!"

I suddenly felt very grateful for my weekends.

"Anyway, the kids don't seem to mind," he continued. "Most of them are doing what they love, and I think they like trying to impress me with their dedication."

"That's good."

"How about you?" he asked, his smile broadening. "You're probably the only guy in Japan who gets weekends off."

"I have a great boss," I replied humbly. "Besides, I get all my work done during the week, and…" I trailed off as I felt my face heat up, "…I think the boss thinks my job's pretty important."

"Accountants are pretty valuable," he remarked. "I don't think I could ever do what you do."

"It's…not that hard," I said as I tried to regain my composure. "I just crunch numbers and try to keep the company from going under."

"You're told me about your job before, Okazaki," he said in an admonishing tone. "You're more important than you think."

"Fine," I grunted. "I'm important…and grateful for my weekends."

He laughed as he reached out and clapped me on the knee. "Well, keep up the good work, Numbers; if my daughter has her way, she'll be counting on you."

"Y-Yeah…" I murmured. Uncomfortable with where the conversation had suddenly turned I tried to change it. "A-Any word on how Jeff and Kyou's wedding's coming along? It's coming up pretty soon, isn't it?"

"August 13th, yup!" Kappei chirped as he settled back into his seat. "And from what I've heard, it's going fine."

"You've heard?" I repeated, a little puzzled. "You sound like you haven't seen either of them recently."

"That's because I haven't," he confirmed with a nod. "Jeff's been busy doing his usual hospital and church stuff, and Kyou's been working on getting caught up on whatever teaching stuff she missed over the last ten years, as well as getting her applications out there. On top of that, they've both been working with those church ladies on wedding planning."

"I guess that could make one seem reclusive," I noted with a grin, to which he laughed. "I'm just glad she's doing better."

"She's really looking forward to her wedding, that's for sure."

Just then, there was a knock at the door and Mika stuck her head in a moment later. "Dinner's about ready."

"We'll be right there," Kappei said to her. As the door clicked shut again he looked back to me with a smirk. "Speaking of weddings…"

I sighed. "I figured that would come up again."

"I'm not going to try to talk you into it," he said as he rose from his chair, "but I know you'd be good for her, and I think she's already been good for you."

"You're right about that," I replied with another sigh as I joined him. "About her being good for me, at least."

He gave me another grin before opening the door and leading me to the dining room. We got there and found Tadashi placing bowls and plates around the table, while Ryou and Mika brought out bowls of food.

"Anything we can help with?" Kappei offered.

"No, thank you," Ryou replied. "Just wash up and come to the table."

A few minutes later we all sat around the table; as usual, Kappei sat at the head, while I sat to his right at his insistence. Mika sat on my other side, while Ryou sat across from me and next to her husband, while Tadashi sat next to his mother and across from his sister, which left Ushio at the other end of the table. We put our hands together and thanked someone for the food, then dug in.

"Hey, this is really good!" Kappei exclaimed after taking his first bite; it was a mix of pork and vegetables that I hadn't seen before.

"Thank you," Ryou blushed. "I wanted to be creative this time, so I just took the flavors that we all like, and…experimented."

"Well, Dr. Hiiragi, it looks like the experiment was a success," he replied before taking another bite.

I exchanged a smile with Mika before gathering my chopsticks and taking a bite. "Wow, Ryou; this is really good. Thanks for all your hard work."

"It…wasn't really that hard…" Ryou murmured, her blush intensifying. "I just took what flavors that I know everyone likes and just…" She shrugged as her blush deepened. "…threw it all together."

"Well, nice throw," I said as I gave her a thumbs-up.

"You're so funny," Mika giggled from beside me, and I tried to not jump as I felt her pat my leg a couple of times.

"Th-Thank you," I replied as I worked on regaining control of my chopsticks. In an effort to distract myself from my self-consciousness I addressed Mika's brother. "S-So, Tadashi-san; are you looking forward to heading to school again?"

"Yes and no, sir," he replied in his typical stoic fashion. "While I eagerly look forward to returning to my studies, I do regret that I did not avail myself of more…social opportunities during summer break."

"What would you have wanted to do differently?" his mom asked.

The boy's face scrunched in concentration. "I'm…not sure, to be honest," he finally replied.

"Maybe that's it, then," Kappei said between bites. "Maybe you've been so 'study, study, study' that you haven't given yourself the chance to think of fun things to do."

"That could be…" Tadashi said, his eyes losing focus.

I thought I saw Kappei glance at me with a grin before looking to Mika. "What about you, cherub? Looking forward to hitting the books again?"

"S-Sort of," she stammered. "I mean, I'm looking forward to seeing my friends every day again and being able to learn new things, but…" She trailed off as she glanced my way several times.

"You'll still see him every day after school," Ryou said sympathetically.

"I know," Mika said, her voice starting to tremble. "It's just that…I…and we… Please excuse me." She suddenly bolted to her feet and ran from the table, and I was sure I could hear her start to cry as she left the room.

I gave her father an uneasy smile. "Do you mind if I go check on her?"

"Give her a minute," he replied with an understanding smile. "Do you know where her room is?"

"No, I don't."

"I'll take him there when it's time," Ryou offered. We ate for a couple more minute before she gestured to me as she got up from her seat. "Come with me, please; I'll take you to her."

I got up from the table and, without a word, followed her up the stairs and down a short hallway to where it intersected with another. "Wow, you have a lot of rooms, don't you?" I remarked awkwardly.

"That's one way of looking at it," she said cryptically, then pointed down the other hallway. "Her room is through the second on the right."

"Got it," I said, then patted her on the shoulder before I realized what I was doing. "Thanks."

Her response was to bow with a soft smile before turning and heading back the way we had come.

"Good grief; I could get lost in this place," I sighed as I started down the hall to knock on what I hoped was the door to my gir-my companion's room. "Mika? You in there?"

I heard soft scuffling before the door slowly opened to reveal puffy eyes and tear-streaked cheeks; my heart sank at the sight. "H-Hi, Tomoya," she hiccupped.

"M-May I come in?" I asked, my heart breaking for her more than I expected.

She simply nodded as she stepped back and opened the door further, allowing me entrance.

I stepped into the room and briefly scanned it; even though it was decorated with more feminine tastes, with more frills and lace, it didn't seem particularly 'girly'. More mature, like a single woman's apartment…that's what it made me think of.

Ultimately, I turned my gaze on my companion. "Are you okay, Mika?"

"W-Would you h-hold me?" she asked with hopeful eyes.

"Sure," I replied without a second thought, and received an armful of crying girl in return. I couldn't think of anything to say so I just held her, occasionally giving her gentle squeezes to hopefully let her know that I was there for her, that I cared about her.

"I'm sorry," she sniffed when she'd settled down enough. "It's just… I know we'll see each other, but…"

"Is it because something great happened, and you feel like you're leaving it behind?" I suggested carefully.

"Y-Yeah," she chuckled as she pulled away from me enough to wipe at her eyes, though not far enough to leave my embrace. "I know I'll still be coming over to make dinners, but I'm still going to miss you. Stupid, huh?"

"I don't think that's for me to decide," I told her with a sympathetic chuckle. "Do you think it's stupid? It seems to mean a lot to you."

"Y-Yeah…" She snuggled into me again, pressing the side of her face against my chest. "I mean…. I don't think it's stupid, but I feel kinda stupid getting all upset like this; does that make sense?"

"It does," I said, giving her an extra squeeze. "Your heart and your mind don't quite agree, huh?"

"No," she giggled. "No, they don't." She pulled away to look me in the eyes as her hands moved from my chest to the back of my neck, pulling me down for-

Suddenly aware of our surroundings, I gently tugged her arms as I gave an apologetic smile in response to her confused expression. "I…don't think that'd be appropriate right now," I told her in a low voice, "regardless of how much we'd both like it."

A smile broke through her confusion. "Y-Yeah… You're right."

"So you two think you could come back to dinner now?" We jumped at the sound of Kappei's voice, and looked to find him just outside Mika's bedroom with his wife and a smirk. "You've been up here a while, so we came to check up on the two of you." He rapped on the open door. "Thanks for leaving this open; it helps with the trust."

"I-I'm sorry, Daddy," Mika whimpered as she broke our embrace. "G-Go ahead and go back to the table, Tomoya; I'll be there soon."

"You sure?" I asked as I studied her expression. "I could-"

"I'll be all right," she said, interrupting as politely as she could. "I just need to stop by the washroom; then I'll be down."

"All right," I replied, releasing her completely. "See you shortly." I then headed out of her room, and I could feel Kappei clap me on my back a couple of times. "Sorry for taking so long," I told him as we headed back to dinner.

"Don't worry about it," he said cheerfully as we descended the stairs. "She needed what she needed, and I figured that I won't be able to give that to her anymore."

I grunted in acknowledgement; Mika was transitioning away from her parents and starting to reach out to new, adult relationships, and her relationship with me would be the strongest of them…all else being equal.

We got back to the table, where Tadashi and Ushio were talking quietly, and got back to eating. A few minutes later Mika and her mother joined us; I hadn't realized that Ryou hadn't followed us down, but I figured that she must have stayed behind to help her daughter freshen up. "I'm sorry for causing a scene," Mika apologized as she reclaimed her seat.

"Don't worry about it," Kappei said as he smiled lovingly at his daughter. "New experiences can be pretty intense, huh?"

I watched with fondness as her expression shifted from distress to one of relief. "Yeah. Yeah, thanks Dad."

He gave her a wink before stuffing another bite in his mouth.

I smiled to myself as I gathered up another bite as well, but before the food got to my mouth I could hear Mika whisper. _"I'm sorry for being so immature."_

I pretended to blow on my food to give myself the chance to whisper back, _"We can talk later."_

She gave me an adoring smile before picking up her chopsticks to eat again.

* * *

"Don't forget to check your mailbox when you get home," Kappei reminded me as Ushio and I stood on the front steps to the Hiiragi home; the entire family was there to see us off. "I know they sent you an invitation," he told me, then grinned. "Maybe you stuffed it to the back without realizing it."

"Yeah, maybe," I chuckled. I glanced over at Ushio, who nodded, and we bowed as one. "Thank you for having us over; we had a great time, as always."

"Same here," Kappei beamed. "Always awesome talking to you, man."

"I enjoyed our conversation, Okazaki-senpai," Tadashi said to my daughter. "It is unfortunate that it was at the expense of my sister's well-being."

"I don't think it was like that," Ushio giggled. "We just took the opportunity to talk while waiting for the others."

"O-Of course," he replied, jerking his head in a nod. "In any case, I enjoyed our conversation, particularly your insights."

"Thank you," Ushio replied with a light blush. "I-I enjoyed it as well."

Kappei looked down at his daughter as she studied me, then smiled as he patted her on the shoulder. "Don't be too long," he instructed before heading further into the house. "Catch you later, Okazaki."

"See you," I said as I returned Mika's gaze.

"I'll wait by the gate," Ushio said, and I could hear the smile in her voice.

"See y-…I mean, okay," I replied, still unable to break my companion's gaze. "I'll be there shortly." Once her footsteps faded I asked Mika, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she giggled as she looked to the side. "That was so embarrassing."

"I won't tell anyone if you won't," I quipped. "Seriously, though, your dad's right; new experiences can be pretty scary."

"Do you ever get scared, Tomoya?" she asked with honest eyes.

"Sure," I said, then swallowed. "I'm scared right now."

"You are?" she exclaimed, her eyes widening. "What are you scared of?"

I couldn't think of the right words, so I reached out and took hold of her hands. "This."

"What do you mean?"

I licked suddenly-dry lips. "I haven't been in a relationship like this in…a really long time."

"Almost as long as I've…been alive, right?" she breathed.

I nodded awkwardly. "And I don't know…how good I'm going to be…at…this," I said as I squeezed her hands. "We're from different generations, I'm damaged goods trying to find restoration…." I shrugged. "I don't know what kind of man I'm going to end up as."

"A good one," she said, her lower lip trembling. "No, a great one."

My chuckle came out more like a scoff. "I wish I had your faith when it comes to me."

"But you do have it," she said with a teary smile as she linked her fingers behind my neck. "You're just getting it from me right now."

I had to swallow a lump in my throat. "Thanks, Mika."

Her smile flickered as she pulled me down for a way-too-brief kiss, then pulled me further for a hug. _"I'll always be here for you, Tomoya,"_ she whispered.

* * *

"You seem happy," Ushio remarked as we headed for home.

"Yeah, I am," I admitted, feeling kinda stupid. "It's kind of a weird feeling, knowing that someone cares about you so deeply."

"Is it like the way a parent feels toward their child?"

I thought about her question for a minute. "Sort of," I finally answered. "Not quite the same…but similar, I think."

"That's neat," she replied, but she sounded distracted. "Daddy? What do you think of Tadashi-san?"

"Tadashi-san?" I echoed. "Well, he seems like a neat kid. I'm not sure what to think of his seriousness, but he seems like a, uh…sincere young man. Why?"

She didn't reply right away, and I looked over to see her with her head drawn into her shoulders. "I…I think he likes me."

I blinked. "He does? Er, you think so?"

She straightened again as we turned a corner. "I'm not sure… Like you said, he seems so serious, but he really seems to like talking with me for some reason."

I experienced a rare flash of intuition. "Do you like talking with him?"

"Oh, I do!" she exclaimed, her expression brightening. "I like how he's so mature and takes his studies seriously and just generally wants to be the best he can be!"

"He does seem pretty serious about being a 'real man'," I noted, seeing my suspicions confirmed. "Maybe when I get our internet situation figured out you could exchange e-mail addresses with him or something."

"That would be awesome!" she squealed, adding a bounce to her gait. "And maybe we could use Strype to talk face-to-face!"

"But online," I added; I'd heard about the service. "Sweetie? Are you sure he likes you? Or is it the other way around?"

"What do you mean?" she asked, her face turning an interesting shade of red.

I crossed my arms as I brought us to a stop. "I think you like him but are afraid to admit it."

"I-" She looked around wildly before huffing cutely. "I…I do not! Not like that, I mean! He's a neat guy who… Ooooooh, can we go home now?" Without waiting for a reply, she turned and stomped off toward our place.

I followed her, though I walked more slowly. "So my little girl's in love…" I murmured with a smile. Until I realized… "…with Mika's younger brother. Damn."

The Okazaki and Hiiragi family trees were going to be so warped.


	38. Surprise-

**Chapter Thirty-Eight: Surprise-**

I smiled awkwardly at the warm welcome Ushio and I received as we approached Glory to God church; everyone acted like we were neighbors – even though we'd only attended one service – and I was surprised at how many people remembered my name. Not only that, none of them got on my case for not being there for several weeks.

"It's so good to see you again," many of them said, and it felt like each of them truly meant it.

Ushio and I shared a smile as we entered the sanctuary, and it didn't take us long to find Kappei and his family. "Hey, you made it!" he called as he waved at us.

As we approached I was surprised to find Mom and Dad Fujibayashi as well as Mom and Dad Furukawa along with my dad sitting at a neighboring table. "Good morning, son," Dad Fujibayashi greeted with a cautious look toward my dad. "I hope the morning finds you well."

"Thank you; you as well," I said as I bowed respectfully.

"Goodness, you two," Mom Fujibayashi gushed as she giggled along with Mom Furukawa. "Tomoya-san; you'll have to excuse your father; he's pretty anxious this morning," she told me as she patted her husband's shoulder. For his part, Dad simply grunted.

"How come?" I asked, mildly concerned. "Are you okay, Dad?"

He looked around the room before tugging at his collar. "I have never been at a temple, let alone a Western church before; I'm not sure how to act."

"It's like I told you before, Dad," Kappei called from the neighboring table. "Just be yourself."

"This place isn't for perfect people, Grandfather," Tadashi added. "As Ashton-sensei has said: This place is for those who wish to be made perfect."

Dad simply murmured something before tugging at his collar again.

"Tomoya!" a happy voice called out, and I turned in time to receive an armful of Mika. "I'm so glad you could make it!"

"Wouldn't…miss it for anything," I replied, a little confused. "I mean, we're meeting with Jeff after the service, right?"

"Of course!" she chirped, beaming up at me. "I guess I was needlessly worried. Sorry."

"Don't worry about it," I said, smiling at her exuberance. "Where are we sitting?"

"Right over here," she said as she took my hand and pulled me over to her parents' table and sat me down in my usual spot, to the right of her dad.

"That's right!" Kappei boomed, then ducked his head as several people looked our way. "I've really gotta work on my volume when we're here," he said at a more normal volume and with a self-conscious smile.

"No one faults you your enthusiasm," Ryou said consolingly as she patted her husband's arm.

"Okazaki-sama; it is good to see you as always," Tadashi greeted.

"Thank you; it's good to see you as well," I returned with a smile; no matter how many times I saw it I was amazed at the young man's unusual maturity.

He nodded before directing his attention to my daughter, who sat next to him with the reddest blush I thought I'd ever seen on her as she stared at the table. "Okazaki-senpai; it is good to see you as always, but…are you unwell?"

"I-I'm fine!" she squeaked with a shake of her head.

"May I get you a cup of water?" he offered, then looked to me. "With your approval, of course."

"Sweetie? You okay?" I asked, knowing full well what was going on with my daughter. "Tadashi-san's offered to get you water; would you like some?"

She said nothing, but nodded several times.

"I shall return shortly," the Hiiragi boy announced as he rose from his seat. "Please excuse me."

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Kappei motioning to get my attention as his son left the room. When I saw his expression of concern, I gave him an awkward nod, hoping he'd understand. When his mouth opened in an 'ah' I figured nothing needed to be said.

Tadashi returned a minute later, cup in hand. "Here you go, Okazaki-senpai," he said as he set it in front of her. "I hope you feel better soon."

"Th-Thank you," she replied as she timidly took hold of the cup to take several sips.

Fortunately the service was less eventful than the events leading up to it; Jeff did his usual call for announcements and then we talked as groups again. Then we ended with the closing prayer and people started to leave the sanctuary, though some stayed to talk quietly in small groups.

I felt more than saw Jeff sidle up to me. "We'll talk after the sanctuary clears," he murmured to me. "I'll try to encourage the others to leave, but it might take a while."

"Understood," I murmured back. "Hey, I'm just grateful for the time; thanks."

He said nothing, but I felt him clap me a couple of times on the back, and I looked up into his smiling face just as he turned to head toward the nearest group of stragglers.

"Are you excited, Tomoya?" I heard Mika ask, and I looked over to my other side to see my companion glowing up at me.

"Uh, yeah…" I managed, then shook my head. "Sorry, that wasn't quite truthful."

"What's the matter?"

"Nothing, I think," I said, shaking my head again. "I'm just anxious, I guess." I gestured to her grandparents. "Do you know why they're here? I thought they weren't religious people."

"They aren't," she said, but something about the way she said it… "They're here for me."

"For you? How come?"

She opened her mouth, then quickly shut it with an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry, Tomoya. The truth is; I'm keeping something from you."

"Why?"

She averted her gaze as she started tapping the floor with the toe of her shoe. "It's…a surprise."

"O-Okay," I replied, suddenly feeling nervous. "Is that why-"

"P-Please don't ask me any more questions," she said, grabbing my arm with a look of regret. "I can't lie to you, so if you ask me…. Just, please."

It took only a brief moment of studying her expression for me to relent. "Okay, Mika; we'll do this your way."

"Th-Thank you," she stammered. "I'm so sorry."

"Don't worry about it," I said gently as I covered her hand with one of mine. "I'm sorry for putting you in such an awkward position. Just…understand that all this secrecy makes me a little uneasy."

"I do understand," she told me. "Do…Do you trust me?"

"Absolutely," I replied, grateful for the easy question. "All right; I get your point." I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I'll be-"

"Hey, Tomoya-san!" Jeff called, interrupting my train of thought as he came up to us. "I've cleared everyone out, but…could I talk with you for a minute before we get started?"

I looked from him to Mika a back with more than a little confusion. "Well, you'll be talking to us in a bit, won't you? Couldn't we talk about it then?"

"Not this time," he said with a shake of his head. "This is between us men."

I looked back to my companion. "You okay with this?"

"Sure," she replied with a warm smile, though the sparkle in her eyes that accompanied her smile made her seem…eager? "I'll be fine while you two talk."

I studied her for a moment longer before redirecting my attention to the pastor. "Um, okay; lead the way."

He led me down familiar hallways to his office. I hadn't been there in quite a while but I thought I noticed some differences, like the somewhat prominently displayed photo of Kyou on his desk, along with photos of the Hiiragis and one of Mom and Dad Fujibayashi. "Have a seat," he said, gesturing to the armchairs in front of his desk.

"Thanks," I said as I claimed a seat, and I found my gaze lingering on the photo of the Hiiragis, Mika in particular. "What's up?"

He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his desk and his chin on his clasped hands. He opened his mouth, only to snap it shut again before chuckling awkwardly. "I'm sorry, Tomoya-san, I…"

"Is this about Mika's surprise?" I asked, experiencing a rare bout of insight.

"Yeah," he chuckled again. "I'm supposed to keep you busy while they set it up. Sorry, I..." He leaned back in his seat. "I just have a real problem with engaging in deceptive behavior."

"For what it's worth, I don't see that as a bad thing," I replied with an understanding smile. "How's the wedding planning going?"

"W-Wedding?" He briefly looked alarmed before quickly regaining his composure. "Oh! Uh, really well," he recovered with a broad smile, apparently grateful for the change of topic as well as my cooperation. "Kyou's dress is coming along nicely, and of course my tux is ready…"

"Tux?" I interrupted, albeit unintentionally. "Are you going for a Western-style wedding?"

"It's not as 'Western' as it used to be," he said with a hint of resignation. "It saddens me to see this, but more and more Japanese are having Western-style weddings."

"Why does it make you sad?"

He leaned forward in his chair again. "I've seen plenty of those kinds of weddings – officiated over quite a few of them myself, actually – and one of the things that I've loved about Japan is how differently things are done over here."

"Like weddings…"

"Exactly… And I don't mean to sound like your culture is simply a source of fascination for me, but I feel like I've been enriched through my exposure to Japanese philosophies, as well as other Asian philosophies in general."

"No, I think I get it," I said, nodding in understanding. "Western stuff seems so foreign to someone like me, whereas Japanese stuff is just…how things are."

"Exactly."

"So it must be kinda tough seeing familiar stuff in a foreign land," I concluded.

He chuckled, his eyes crinkling with his smile. "We really need to talk more; you're one of the most philosophical men I think I've ever had the pleasure of knowing."

"Thanks," I chuckled, warmed by his words.

His smile faded as he looked down at his desk. "Listen, I want to thank you for taking care of Kyou after Sato-san kicked her out."

I bristled at the name of Kyou's ex-tormentor. "You're welcome," I growled but immediately softened at Jeff's comparatively serene expression. "Sorry, just hoping that that guy gets what's coming to him."

"I understand." He sighed heavily. "I don't see any point in dwelling on that now, though; at this point, Kyou's just glad to be free to live her life as she sees fit. I'm sure she'll always grieve her lost time, but I haven't seen any sign that she's going to dwell on it at length."

"From the way she's been talking, you're the one to thank for that," I said, breathing a sigh of relief as my annoyance shifted to something more positive. "She's talked a lot about how good you've been for her."

He smiled humbly. "Thanks, but I think I've said before that I only introduced her to God; he's the one who's done the heavy lifting."

"Well, whatever it is, being with you has been good for her…in many ways," I said; I still wasn't quite ready to give his god the credit, but-

Any further musings were interrupted by a knock at the door. "Come in, please," Jeff called while giving me an apologetic look.

The door opened, and Tadashi stuck his head in the room. "Uncle Jeff, Okazaki-sama; we are ready."

"Already?" Jeff exclaimed, and I looked back to see him with an expression of surprise. "Well, if that's the case…" He looked to me, then gestured to the door as he rose from his seat. "Shall we then?"

"S-Sure," I replied, feeling a little anxious at what was to come as I got up as well. "Lead the way."

I felt more than a little apprehensive as he led me back to the sanctuary; since it involved Mika I was sure that it would be intense and emotional, and I had a feeling that I would have to make an important decision shortly. The very thought made me want to run for the exit. Before I knew it I was passing through the lobby, where Kappei briefly stopped me with a hand on my shoulder and a solemn expression; very unusual for my typically-chipper friend. "She's really putting herself out there, man," he told me. "Keep that in mind, okay?"

"O-Okay," I replied, my anxiety spiking in spite of his encouraging smile and a clap of his hand on my shoulder. He gave me another clap before releasing me, and I followed Jeff again as he led me into the sanctuary. The tables had been rearranged, similar to my 'last' counseling session; one table in the middle, with the others arranged in a semicircle around it. Everyone was still there, with Mom and Dad Furukawa at one table, Mom and Dad Fujibayashi at another, and I saw Kappei join his son at a third table. Dad and Ushio sat at yet another table. I noticed that a couple of people were missing, though. "Where're Mika and her mother? And Kyou, for that matter?" I asked, my apprehension increasing.

"They'll be along shortly," Jeff said as he moved to stand behind the central table so that he faced the others.

I moved to stand across the table from him. "Where am I supposed to be?"

"Right where you are," he replied with a smile, gesturing to me as I stood in front of his table and slightly to one side. "That's perfect."

I rubbed my hands together nervously and looked around the room as we waited; Mom Furukawa smiled serenely at me while Dad Furukawa sat leaned back in his chair with his arms crossed and a smile as well. Mom and Dad Fujibayashi both looked a little uneasy, with Dad's arms crossed as well, but they both managed anxious smiles when I looked their way. My dad and Ushio appeared to be chatting quietly, but she gave me a wave and a huge smile while I studied the two of them, and I gave her an awkward wave in return.

Mika's family showed an interesting contrast; while Kappei had a huge grin that looked almost mischievous, Tadashi was his usual self, sitting straight in his chair with his hands folded before him and what appeared to be an expression of curiosity.

Apparently I was pretty caught up in my thoughts, because I jumped when one of the side doors opened and Kyou poked her head in. "Is he here-Oh, there you are!" she said when she saw me.

"We're as ready as I think we're going to be," Jeff replied.

"Okay; sorry to take so long," she replied before ducking behind the door again, letting it close. It opened again a moment later and Kyou came in followed by Ryou, followed by… My eyes widened and my jaw dropped.

Mika entered the room, dressed in a kimono, dark blue with what appeared to be small white snowflakes on it. Her lengths of purple had been pulled up into twin buns that looked Chinese, and even though her face was downturned I could see a hint of sparkly purple makeup around her eyes and lipstick in some shade of red.

I watched, transfixed as she moved to stand before me, with her mother and her aunt just behind her and to each side. "Wh-What's going on?" I nearly demanded; I had a pretty good idea of what was about to happen but I didn't want to make any wrong assumptions.

Mika said nothing to me but turned her head to nod solemnly at her aunt, who smiled before stepping away to stand next to her fiancé. Then she turned and embraced her mother, and I thought I heard Ryou tell her 'good luck'. My companion then turned back toward me, finally looking up into my eyes. "Tomoya?"

"Y-Yeah?" I said, trying to not fall into her deep blue eyes. "Mika, wh-what's going on?"

She looked up at me for a moment longer before taking a step back, and my eyes widened in stunned surprise as she lowered herself to her knees to touch her fingertips to the floor in a bow. "Okazaki Tomoya; I, Hiiragi Mika, pledge myself to you. I vow to support you as a wife should, preparing healthy, delicious meals and working hard to maintain a happy, healthy home. I will bear children for you and raise them with you, loving them as I love you. This I promise until death claims me."

I was floored though only partly surprised. I looked over to Jeff, who simply watched me with one of his typical gentle smiles. "Did you know about his?" I asked quietly.

"I did," he replied with a voice as gentle as his expression. "Right now, though, you have a young lady waiting for a reply."

"But-" I was about to counter that I wasn't ready, that I needed time to think about it, but as I looked back down at Mika, still bowing, I knew that all my concerns had been nothing but sheer cowardice. I remembered the hug that she had offered early on, the chocolates that she had to have made for me as well as her confession at the festival, our picnic, our awkward card game…

" _Have you decided whether you want to remarry or not?"_

" _I'm still…struggling with that. I think I've grieved Nagisa a little, but I'm satisfied with the way life is right now."_

" _With Mika as part of it?"_

I chuckled softly at the memories as I smiled down at her. "This is so like you, woman."

I still couldn't see her face, but I thought I heard her giggle.

I tried to recall her words as I got down on my knees to bow as well; I felt a little awkward since I was in more casual clothes, but it occurred to me that she'd likely accounted for that. "I, Okazaki Tomoya, pledge myself to you, Hiiragi Mika." I started to think about what I wanted to say next, only to find the words coming surprisingly easily. "I vow to lead and guide our family with knowledge and wisdom, and I will continue to seek wisdom for our benefit, as well as the benefit of our…" I swallowed hard, "…our future family. I promise you this until death." I wanted to say more, but nothing more came to mind.

A moment later Jeff spoke: "Tomoya, Mika; please stand." As I got to my feet I caught a glimpse of tear-tracks on Mika's cheeks, though her solemn expression remained. After we were both facing the pastor he continued: "Okazaki Tomoya, Hiiragi Mika: you have pledged yourselves to each other in the witness of family and in the witness of God. Be firm in your commitment to one another; do not give evil a chance to take root in your marriage. Choose each day to love each other, for love is more than just a feeling; it is a choice, one that must be made day by day, action by action, thought by thought. May He hold you both to account, and may those present also hold you to account in order to maintain and enrich this most holy of unions."

"Let it be as you have said," Mika replied, causing me to blink in surprise; I understood that what we were doing wasn't a joking matter, but I was still surprised at how serious she sounded…until my mind went back to our times spent together, picnicking, playing, laughing…

"Tomoya?" I blinked again as I looked to Jeff, who was watching me with a slightly amused expression. "I know we've caught you off-guard, but…" he trailed off as he looked over at Mika.

It took me a moment to realize what he meant. "Oh! Yeah… Let it be as you've said," I managed, trying to not feel self-conscious as I heard Kyou snicker.

He smiled broadly at the two of us. "Congratulations, you two. May your lives together be richly blessed."

"Thanks," I murmured; the whole situation still felt surreal…just a little.

He watched us for a moment longer before giving us a knowing smile. "It's okay now."

"What's oka-MMPH!" My words were cut off by my new bride grabbing hold of me to nearly mash her lips to mine.

Fortunately, she didn't hold me hostage for long, and I could hear appreciative chuckling as we pulled away, though we still held each other. "I'm sorry, Tomoya," Mika said as she carefully wiped her tears away with a finger. "It's just that I've been waiting to do that for a very long time."

"Don't worry about it," I replied, surprisingly at peace about the whole thing. Actually, no; not so surprisingly. "Sorry to keep you waiting."

She simply giggled as she drew me into another embrace.

"Is this really okay?" We looked over to Dad Fujibayashi, who studied us with a concerned look. "I don't mean to be a party pooper, but isn't this all too fast? My granddaughter's so young, and she hasn't known Tomoya that long…"

"Dear!" Mom hissed while elbowing him in the side. "She's eighteen!"

"If you're worried about his character or anything, Sanae and I can vouch for him," Dad Furukawa offered.

"It's not that, but thank you," Dad Fujibayashi replied as he spread his hands. "Rinko and I have known him for years. It's just…"

"G-Grandpa…?" Mika said with a worried expression, though she still held on to me. "T-Tomoya's the 'boy' I had the crush on when I was eight."

"Come on, Daddy," Kyou said teasingly. "This is Tomoya we're talking about. I can't think of anyone who'd be better for Mika than him."

"I…I-I agree," Ryou murmured, her voice barely above a whisper; I was surprised that Kappei didn't chime in first. "Were it anyone else, I'd be concerned. But Tomoya-san is a good man."

"Yes, and I'm sure it has nothing to do with the fact that you both had a crush on him back in high school," he humphed as he crossed his arms.

"Whoa, Dad," Kappei said with his hands raised. "I don't mean any disrespect, but is that really called for?"

"For what it's worth, he has our approval as well," Mom Furukawa chimed in.

Dad Fujibayashi blinked in surprise at her words. "…and you're the mother of his late wife, so…" Finally, he uncrossed his arms with a sigh. "I'm sorry; I guess I don't know what my real problem is, but if you two are happy then I'll just have to learn how to deal with it."

"If you need a sounding board, my door's always open," Jeff offered.

Dad studied the pastor for a moment before 'humphing' with a slight smile. "I might take you up on that."

"Well!" Kappei exclaimed with a clap of his hands, startling me. "Now that that's settled, we need to make arrangements to get you two living together!"

"Are you that eager for our daughter to move out?" Ryou asked, and I thought I saw an impish grin on her face.

Kappei's face fell as he turned toward his wife. "Aw, Ryou; don't be like that. I'm really happy for her, and I'm kinda excited to see what her life will be like from now on, too."

"She's just pulling your leg, bro," Kyou said with a grin that nearly matched her younger twin's.

"Oh." Kappei looked over at his wife, who quickly averted her gaze to her lap. "Well, then… Anyone up for lunch? Since it's a special occasion, it's our treat!"

It didn't take any convincing for everyone to agree. "Rinko and I will pay our own way, though," Dad Fujibayashi told us, then sent me a wink. "We'd also like to pay for the newlywed's lunch, if no one objects."

"No problem here!" Kappei said as well all started to our feet. "You cool with that, newlyweds?"

"I-" I caught myself and looked into the twinkling blue eyes of my bride, who gave me a nod along with a slight squeeze to my arm. "We're cool with that."

"Go on ahead," Kyou told us as she took my bride's arm and started toward the side door, presumably so Mika could change back into her casual clothes. "We'll catch up."

"You go on ahead," I told Kappei as we shook hands. "I'll wait for my comp-…for Mi-" I took a deep breath. "For my wife."

"All right," he laughed, releasing my hand to clap me on the shoulder. "See you later, then…son-in-law."

"Kappei!" Ryou exclaimed, whapping her husband on the arm before encircling it with her own.

I chuckled to myself as I watched the Hiiragis – now minus Mika – leave the sanctuary and head out the main doors. "He's started already…"

"Tomoya."

I jerked slightly in surprise and looked to find Dad Fujibayashi standing next to me. "Yeah, Dad?"

He grunted a sigh, and I noticed that Mom Fujibayashi wasn't with him; a quick search found her talking with Nagisa's parents near the sanctuary exit. "Are you sure you're okay with this? I know that Mika's mature for her age – she was pretty precocious when she was little, after all – but you're still eighteen years apart."

"It's…a bigger gap than I would have expected," I admitted, then grinned. "I guess we could say that she's mature for her age and I'm immature for my age; would that work?"

He chuckled, a smile breaking through his serious expression. "I suppose, but I really don't think you're immature at all." He sighed again. "Look, I'm seven years older than your mother, so it's not as though I don't think that a difference in age is necessarily a deal-breaker, it's just that…"

"Is it because I'm a salaryman, and you were hoping for more for her?" A look of horror crossed his face so I quickly added, "I don't mean to say that you're some kind of snob or anything! I just mean that we want the best for our families, and I know that my…field…doesn't provide a whole lot. I wasn't trying to say anything bad about you, honest."

"That's a relief," he breathed. "For a moment there I was afraid that I'd given you reason to believe that I looked down on you."

"No way!" I said, letting the love I felt for my extended family show in my smile. "You and Mom have been nothing but good to me and Ushio."

"That's a relief," he repeated with another sigh then looked over my shoulder, and I followed his gaze to Jeff, who was busy rearranging the tables back to the way they were. "He's been so good for Kyou. Or his god, or whatever."

"Yeah," I agreed as we returned the wave the pastor sent our way.

"You know that Mika was conceived while her mother was still in high school, didn't you?"

I wasn't sure what had caused him to bring that up, but I had been curious about it, so… "I figured that had to be the case. Were you mad when you found out?"

"Furious," he admitted with a chuckle that somehow sounded nostalgic. "After all, she and Kappei weren't married at the time; any father would feel…nonplussed at the idea. Wouldn't you agree?" he asked with a knowing look.

It didn't take much for me to get his meaning, and I reflexively imagined Ushio coming home from school and announcing her pregnancy. "Yeah, I'd be pretty…nonplussed," I replied with a wry grin.

"They quickly rectified the marriage situation, so Mika was born into a stable family setting…though it took a while for the family to stabilize," he explained. "Fortunately the two of them were more than ready by the time Mika was born."

"That's good," I said, not sure how else to respond.

I heard another sigh, then I felt Dad clap his hand on my shoulder. "See you two at lunch, son," he said before heading over to his wife, who stood waiting for him; apparently the Furukawas had already left for the restaurant.

"Tomoya?"

I reflexively bristled at the familiar voice but turned to face my father, who had come up behind me. "Yeah, Dad?"

He studied me for a moment before stepping forward to wrap me in his arms. "I am so happy for you…s-son."

It took several seconds for his words to register due to the unexpected embrace. "Th-Thanks…" I managed as I returned the hug; I hadn't hugged him in years, so the sensation felt kinda weird.

He released me, stepping back to wipe at his eyes with the back of his hand. "And thank you…for being such a positive example to your old man."

I blinked. "What do you mean?"

He took a deep breath. "I have seen how you have dealt with your losses. For a while, I was concerned that you would end up like me; a bitter, broken old man. But with friends like Kyou-san and the Hiiragis, and now Jeff-san, you have come much farther than I have." He reached out and took hold of my shoulder. "I cannot tell you how happy I am for you."

"I'm…glad I could help. Thanks."

He studied me for a moment longer before averting his gaze to the floor between us. "I...hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me for the way I treated you when you were a boy. I may have been hurting, but that does not excuse my treatment of you."

My mouth fell open as his words replayed themselves in my head; had my dad just apologized to me?! Maybe there was a god out there like Jeff's. As one who had abandoned his own daughter for five years, though… "I'm in no position to forgive you," I said humbly. "After Nagisa died I abandoned Ushio, leaving her with Nagisa's parents for five years while I felt sorry for myself."

"You might have handled it better had I handled my grief better," Dad countered, fixing his gaze on mine. "To my understanding, Ushio has forgiven you for…doing what you did."

I thought back to what Ushio had done to try to 'make up' for her mother's death. "I suppose she has; she's never said it directly, though."

"Hm." He studied me for a moment longer before giving me a tender smile. "Well, whether you choose to forgive me or not, just know how sorry I am and that I regret my poor choices and how they've affected you."

"O-Okay," I said, humbled by his…well, humility. "I'll…work on that."

"Thank you," he said before patting me on the shoulder. "If you are willing, I would like us to start over; maybe you won't let me be your father anymore, but I'd like to be in your life if you'll allow it."

"I…really would like that," I admitted; truth was, I'd wanted my dad back for decades. "Let's just take this one step at a time, okay?"

"Of course," he said, beaming. "I will see you at the restaurant?"

"Sure," I replied, returning his smile.

He patted me a couple more times before heading to the door.

I sighed, my smile fading as I watched him leave. I really wanted to be on good terms with him, but I wasn't sure that forgiving him would fix everything.

* * *

"Well, this has been an interesting chapter in your life, hasn't it?" Jeff said with a chuckle as we sat around the restaurant table. We'd ordered our food and had been making small talk as we waited.

"Feels like several, actually," I agreed with a chuckle of my own. "It's amazing what a difference just a few months can make."

"It sure is," Mika agreed as she snuggled my arm. "I can't believe it was only last May that I confessed to you; it seems a lot longer."

"You two have been through a lot," Jeff said, resting his elbows on the table and folding his hands. "As individuals and as a couple…so to speak."

"Speaking of couples," I said as I nudged my bride off my arm so I could look into her face, "are you really okay with the 'wedding' that we just had? Wouldn't you have wanted a larger one? With a cake and all that kind of stuff?"

"But that would have meant waiting even longer!" she pouted cutely.

"Besides, we've got a party planned for Sat-URP!" Kappei yelped as his wife elbowed him. "Damn, I was supposed to keep that a secret."

"A party?" Mika chirped, perking up. "I didn't know about that."

"Of course not," Kyou griped as she stared daggers at Kappei. "It was supposed to be a surprise, but Big Mouth here couldn't keep it to himself."

"Sorry, sorry," Big Mouth said while waving his hands. "I spoke before I thought, okay? I'll work on that."

"Be sure that you do, or Ryou will punish you," she added with a smirk.

"Onee-chan!"

"Let's not forget why we're here," Jeff said before standing with his glass. "To Tomoya and Mika; I know I said this earlier, but may your lives be richly blessed."

"Hear, hear," Kappei cheered, raising his mug.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Kyou lean across the table toward her niece. "I'm jealous again, Mika; you got married before I did."

"I-I'm sorry, Aunt Kyou…"

"Nah, don't worry about it," Kyou replied, waving her hand as she straightened again. "I'm just giving you a hard time. I'm really happy for you. Both of you," she said, sending a wink my way. "And you, Tomoya; you take good care of my niece, you got it?"

"Yes, ma'am," I replied, ducking my head with a fake look of submission. My face fell, however, when I thought about my financial situation; Mika was used to living in a house and being able to afford all sorts of nice things. Would I be able to do anything like that for her?

"Are you okay, Tomoya?" Jeff's kind voice broke through my musings. "You look like something's bothering you."

"I-It's nothing," I said, casting a nervous glance toward my bride.

"It doesn't look like nothing, Daddy," Ushio said gently.

I couldn't get the stupid financial stuff out of my head, so I started up from the table. "I'm sorry, Mika; excuse me for just a few minutes. I'm going to try to clear my head; I don't want to be a party pooper."

"That's Daddy's job," Kyou quipped, earning herself a dirty look from her father.

"I'll be back shortly," I chuckled as I headed toward the washrooms; I hoped that some cold water on my face would flush the sobering thoughts from my mind. Once inside I beelined it to the sink and started splashing.

A couple of minutes later I heard the washroom door open and sensed someone next to me. "What's the matter?" I heard Jeff ask. "I want to help if I can."

I bobbed my head a few times as I considered his offer. "I'm…just worried that I won't be able to provide the life she's used to," I said, shame welling up within me.

"I don't understand," he replied, and I could see him shaking his head in the mirror's reflection. "She doesn't want the life she's used to; she wants one with you."

"I'm talking about money," I said through gritted teeth. "Ushio and I live okay, but bringing a third person into the home?" I lifted my hands in a shrug. "An accountant only brings home so much money."

"I don't think she's worried about that," he suggested.

"Of course she isn't!" I hissed, smacking the cool porcelain with the palm of my hand. "She's a sweet, caring girl! And that's why I'm worried!"

"Are you concerned that she'd let herself suffer rather than make you feel bad as a provider?"

"Yeah, that's it," I said, waving a hand at him. "Thanks; I was having a hard time finding the words."

I heard rustling and looked over to see him pulling a pamphlet out of his inside coat pocket. "I actually meant to give this to the two of you at the church, but…" he held out the pamphlet, which I accepted. "One or both of you could do this to bring in some extra income."

"What is it?" I asked as I scanned the front of the flyer.

"It's a course series that teaches online trading," he replied. "It's run by another believer, and I know a few people back in the States who do this to supplement their income."

I studied the pamphlet more seriously. "Have you tried it?"

"It's…not for everyone," he said, sounding a little awkward. "Kyou's shown some interest, though."

I sighed as I briefly gnawed on my lower lip. "Can I keep this? I'd like to talk with Mika about it."

"Of course," he replied, gesturing toward me. "I brought it for you, after all."

"Thank you." I tucked it in my coat pocket, then sighed again. "Well, ready or not, I'd better get back; I don't need my new wife worrying about me."

"It's a little late for that," he said with a lopsided smile, which I mirrored. "But you're right; you should head back."

As expected, Mika fussed over me until I promised to talk to her about 'it' later. "I'm not trying to keep secrets from you," I explained. "I just don't want to bring down the mood; we're supposed to be partying, after all."

"Okay," she said, finally giving in. "I'm sorry for harassing you about it."

I opened my mouth to reply but thought better of it, so I simply gave her a pat on the hand along with what I hoped was a reassuring smile.

* * *

"I don't want to go," Mika pouted as we held each other outside the restaurant; everyone else had already started for home. "I want to go home with you. To our home."

"You'll be there soon enough," I said encouragingly, though I couldn't help but chuckle as I carefully rested my chin on the top of her head.

The plan was for my bride to bring a few things over, day by day, as she came over for dinner. On Saturday, though, Ushio and I would head over to the Hiiragi's to help move whatever was left that Mika wanted to bring to her new home. A few things would be left behind - like her bed – with the understanding that we'd be collecting them when we eventually moved into a larger place.

"I know," she replied, still sounding pouty, "but Saturday seems so far away."

"I…understand."

I felt her pull away so I looked down to find her with concern in her eyes. "Are you okay?" she asked. "You sounded distracted just now."

I sighed noisily. "I'm not sure. To be honest, I'm a little worried about the finances; all of this went so quickly that I never thought about it."

"I'm sorry…"

"It's not your fault," I told her as I gave her a squeeze. "I should've been paying attention. Let's just get you moved in and go from there; it may not be as severe a problem as I think."

"Okay."

I smiled down at her before giving her a kiss on the top of her head; the sweet smell of her hair was oddly comforting. "You know, the sooner you start bringing stuff over, the sooner Saturday will get here."

She giggled softly as we broke the embrace, and I shivered slightly as her warmth left me. "You're so silly. But I guess working on packing will keep me busy." Her smile faded as she looked into my eyes. "See you this evening…husband."

"See you later, wifey," I replied, as the solemn expression on her face reminded me of the weight of our new relationship.

"'Wifey'," she giggled, her dazzling smile making a return. "I like that."

"Do you want me to see you to the station?" I offered, stopping her as she turned to head away.

"Go home and rest," she replied with a shake of her head, and a fond smile along with a twinkle in her eyes. "It's going to be a busy week, and I'll be seeing you later."

My heart felt unusually light all the way home.


End file.
